


It Is In My Memory Locked, and You Shall Keep the Key

by wordscreatereality



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-18
Updated: 2015-01-12
Packaged: 2018-03-02 00:22:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 23,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2793026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordscreatereality/pseuds/wordscreatereality
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver has survived his encounter with Ra's al Ghul, but when he wakes he has no memory of his duel. In fact, he awakens in Maseo's apartment in Hong Kong and the last thing he remembers is working for Amanda Waller as an interrogator. Meanwhile, in Starling City, Team Arrow has continued Oliver's mission to honor his memory, but Felicity hasn't given up on Oliver or his ability to survive against all odds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet, "Tis in my memory lock'd, And you yourself shall keep the key of it."
> 
> This story is cannon compliant through 3x09.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

The first thing he was aware of was a smell. It was sweet and warm and a memory tugged at the back of his mind. He inhaled deeply and the memory of waking up for the first time in Maseo's Hong Kong flat had his eyes flying open. "Maseo, " he gasped through a parched throat and chapped lips.

A cool hand gently pressed against his forehead. "Easy, Oliver." An arm slid beneath his shoulders and raised him slightly from the mattress. A cup of warm tea was held to his lips and he drank deeply.

Oliver blinked his eyes several times in an attempt to bring the world around him into focus. Gradually, the concerned countenance of Maseo materialized. "Where am I? What happened?"

"What do you remember?" Maseo's voice was soothing and Oliver gratefully took more of the tea he pressed against his lips.

Oliver opened his mouth to respond when he realized he couldn't remember. He closed his eyes and tried to pull a memory forward. Images flashed through his mind but every time he tried to latch onto one, it dissolved like smoke in a breeze. A sense of panic flooded through him. He had a feeling he was supposed to be somewhere else and that someone was waiting for him. He tried to sit up when a sharp pain shot through his side and chest, forcing him to sink back onto the thin mattress. "I can't remember."

"I'm not surprised.  We were in a fight with the Triad. You were stabbed twice and took a blow to the head. I didn't think you were going to make it."

"The Triad?" Oliver's brow furrowed as he tried to recall the fight. "China White?"

Maseo shook his head. "No, not Chien Na Wei, but her men."

Oliver closed his eyes and tried to land on a memory any memory. "Amanda? Was it a job for Amanda?"

"Not exactly." Maseo dragged a hand across his face. "We were looking for Tatsu."

"Tatsu." Oliver whispered and his mind was flooded with images of her. The last was an image of blood covering a child's drawing. "China White killed her."

"No." Maseo said firmly. "No, we thought she was dead, but we learned that she is being held by the Triad. We've been looking for her ever since."

A small smile spread Oliver's lips. "She's alive. I remember."

Maseo sighed in relief. "Yes, and you're going to help me get her back."

\----->>>>

Maseo's escrima stick flashed into Oliver's peripheral vision, but he knew he was going to be too slow to react. He pivoted in order to allow his right shoulder to take the blow instead of his still sore flank. It had been two weeks since Oliver had awoken in Maseo's flat and eight weeks since he'd been wounded by the Triad. His strength and reflexes were slowly returning, but his memories of the past four years had yet to return. The last thing he could remember was his first year in Hong Kong, being coerced into working for A.R.G.U.S. and Tatsu's abduction.

According to Maseo, Oliver had spent the past four years working for A.R.G.U.S. as a sniper and interrogator.  His performance had awarded him some small personal freedoms, but it had come at a price. An explosive device had been implanted within his brain that would detonate if he traveled outside the perimeter approved by Waller or if he attempted to contact his family. Waking up to discover that four years of his life had vanished was not as unsettling as what he saw in the mirror. His hair was shorter than he remembered and there were far more lines around his eyes, but it was the scars covering his body that nearly took his breath away. He didn't know if he was grateful or disturbed that he couldn't remember receiving each tattoo, wound and burn. When he asked Maseo what happened, he shrugged and said, "A lot has happened in four years."

Oliver recovered from Maseo's blow and dropped to his knee, swinging his escrima stick and sweeping his opponent's legs out from under him. Maseo landed heavily onto the floor and the air was forcibly expelled from his lungs. Oliver dropped onto the floor and rolled onto his back, panting for breath. "Much better." Maseo said from his prone position. "You will be ready to return to the field in no time."

"Has Waller said what our next assignment is?" Oliver hoped that once he returned to his normal routine, his memory would start to return.

"A.R.G.U.S. is tracking Chien Na Wei's associates. I will tell them that as soon as they have a lead, we will be ready to pursue it." Maseo rose to his feet and offered Oliver his hand. "Come, it is time for your medicine."

Oliver followed Maseo into the kitchen and poured himself some tea from the pot steeping on the stove. Maseo insisted that Oliver consume the tea before and after each meal and before going to sleep at night. Maseo said that the tea had medicinal properties that were accelerating Oliver's healing. He was reluctant to disagree since he was up and walking around after being run through with a sword, twice. The tea also tasted a lot better than the tea Slade brewed him with island herbs.

Maseo busied himself preparing their evening meal while Oliver drank his tea. As he poured himself a second cup he hoped that the tea would start healing his mind now that his body was almost completely healed. He couldn't escape the nagging feeling that someone was waiting for him.

\------->>>>>

Maseo took a corner at over 100mph as they pursued a member of the Triad who they believe knows of Tatsu's location. Oliver braced himself with one hand on the car's roof and his knees against the dash. He swallowed a curse as his friend took another sharp corner and their car fish-tailed before Maseo was able to regain control. It had been four months since Oliver's injuries had side-lined their pursuit of Chien Na Wei. His recovery had been slower than either of them would've liked and it took them longer than expected to get another line on the Triad. For the past month they'd been shaking down every low level dealer and pimp in the city to obtain the whereabouts of the man they were presently chasing, Xi Li. Maseo accelerated and pulled alongside Xi's car. Oliver aimed his gun, took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger as he exhaled. Mindful that a dead man can't reveal his secrets, Oliver aimed for the tires and hoped that the speed they were traveling wouldn't result in a fatal accident.

As soon as Oliver fired, Maseo lifted his foot from the gas and they watched Xi's car fight for control. As the car began to roll, Oliver prayed that Xi was wearing a seatbelt. When the car came to a rest, Oliver sprinted from his car and dragged Xi through his broken windshield. As he hoisted Xi over his shoulder he was relieved to feel warm breath against his cheek. Oliver dropped Xi on the backseat and searched him for weapons. He barely returned to his seat, before Maseo sped off in the direction of the warehouse they were using as an interrogation facility.

Three hours later, as Oliver washed the blood from his hands a shot rang out. He dropped to his knees and turned with his gun raised only to see Maseo standing over Xi's body with a gun. Oliver returned to washing his hands, biting his tongue from making any comment. If the information he tortured out of Xi turned out to be false, they would be out of leads. Oliver gathered their equipment as Maseo doused the body with gasoline. When they were satisfied they weren't leaving any evidence behind, Maseo tossed a match.  The smell of burning flesh brought a memory of searing pain. Oliver stumbled as a wave of fear washed over him. As quickly as the memory came, it vanished. He continued across the abandoned warehouse floor and began to breathe through his mouth in order to avoid any more flashes of memories of his own flesh burning.

The drive back to Maseo's flat was quiet as both men contemplated what Xi told them. Oliver knew that Waller would never agree to allow him to accompany Maseo. He worried that his friend would be outmatched if he had to face the Triad on his own. As if reading his mind, Maseo spoke, "Waller will let you come with me."

Oliver snorted and shook his head. "She'll never let me within a hundred miles. She'd sooner blow my head off."

"Let me deal with Waller. We leave for Starling City in the morning."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity doesn't believe that Oliver is dead and now she thinks she has proof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who took the time to send me a comment or leave a kudos. It is very much appreciated.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

John took a deep steadying breath before he opened the Foundry door. It had been four months since they had lost Oliver, but stepping into their base of operations had not gotten any easier. When they received word that Ra's al Ghul had killed Oliver, Felicity had disappeared for three days. When she returned, she declared that they were going to continue Oliver's mission to defend the city. Oliver had sacrificed himself to save Starling City and they needed to honor his memory. Felicity was concerned that if Oliver and the Arrow disappeared at the same time a straight line could be drawn to the remaining team. At Felicity's insistence, John had begun to patrol dressed as the Arrow.  John had worn Oliver's hood before his death, but now he could feel its weight.

With Oliver gone it became clear that Felicity was now in charge of their operation. She set the patrols and chose their targets. She also expanded their roster of vigilantes. Laurel was now using the alias Black Canary and patrolled with her new partner, Ted Grant aka Wildcat. Felicity ran comms for the pair but she refused to divulge the location of their base or Team Arrow's identities to Ted. John and Felicity had fought over Laurel putting on a mask. John argued that Oliver would've fought Laurel on her decision. Felicity agreed, but believed that Laurel was putting on the mask one way or the other and at least with their help she had a better chance of staying alive.  

In addition to Laurel and Ted, Ray Palmer had joined their ranks as the mechanized A.T.O.M. Ray was working out of his own secret base, but  Felicity provided support from the Foundry. John, Roy, Laurel and Ted's identities were also being kept secret from Ray. As unhappy as John was with Laurel and Ted running patrols, the A.T.O.M. made him downright uncomfortable. The mechanized suit was weaponized with cutting edge technology. If the suit ever fell into the wrong hands, the repercussions would be disastrous. Even though Felicity trusted Palmer, John wasn't entirely convinced that he was the right man to wear the suit. John knew that the billionaire had yet to face a true crisis and only after he was tested would they know if was a hero or a villain.

Tonight was Laurel and Ted's night for patrols with Roy on call for support. Five vigilantes roaming the streets made for nervous citizens and police. They decided to stick to patrols of two unless working on a larger operation that required all hands on deck.

As John entered the Foundry he heard the familiar sounds of Roy hitting a training dummy and Felicity's fingers flying across her keyboard. Her desk was now configured as a horseshoe. Team Arrow's computers were front and center and she was flanked by systems for the Black Canary and the A.T.O.M. John was surprised to see Felicity's attention on Team Arrow's systems and not prepping for Laurel and Ted's patrol.

At his approach, Felicity minimized the screen she was studying and spun to face him. "Hey, Dig. Laurel and Ted are getting into position. I'm having them do some reconnaissance on this Brick we've been hearing so much about."

John cursed internally as he took in her appearance. There were dark purple circles ringing her eyes that no amount of foundation could hide. Combined with the hollowness of her cheeks caused by her drastic weight loss she appeared skeletal in the blue glow of her monitors. He no longer asked if she was okay because she only lied. He only asked her questions that couldn't be answered with a yes or a no. "How many hours have you slept since I saw you last night?"

Felicity sighed and turned to face her monitors. "I'm debating whether I should send Arsenal out to provide back-up. What do you think?"

"I think that this Brick character sounds dangerous and it wouldn't hurt to have Arsenal nearby in case things go pear shape. I also think you're avoiding my question."

"Roy, did you hear?" She called over her shoulder.

"Gearing up now." Roy strode across the Foundry towards his equipment. "I'll be on the road in five."

"Felicity." John said firmly.

"About two hours." Felicity addressed her monitors.

John sighed. If she said two hours, she probably hadn't slept at all. He glanced over to the bed she bought for Oliver over the summer. Since his death, she'd taken to sleeping in his bed, but today it was neatly made and he couldn't tell if it had been used. He placed a bag on her desk. "I'm not even going to ask you if you ate. It's baked chicken, broccoli and a salad."

"Thanks," she said pushing the bag towards the edge of her desk.

He pushed the bag back towards her. "You have time to eat now. They don't need you, yet." Felicity locked eyes with him. John could see anxiety and exhaustion written all over her face but if he had to pick a word to describe her eyes he would have to say, manic. There was something more than usual going on with her. She eventually flinched under his scrutiny and pulled the bag towards herself. She might be in charge of the team, but she still listened to him. "What's going on?" She took a bite of her chicken and shrugged as she chewed.

Roy, in his Arsenal gear, stepped over to her desk and retrieved his comm. Once the device was in his ear, he said, "Check."

Felicity gave him a thumbs up. "I've got you, Arsenal. Be safe and come home."

Roy gave her a thumbs up and a grin. "I'll check in when I'm in position."

John waited for Roy to leave before he returned his attention to Felicity. "How about I take the comms tonight and you take the night off and get some sleep."

"I'm fine." She tapped her left ear. "Head's up, Black Canary. I'm sending Arsenal your way. Be safe tonight." She nodded at whatever Laurel was saying and then muted her connection.

"You can't keep going on like this. It's only a matter of time before you collapse from exhaustion and you won't be any good to us." John placed a gentle hand on her back.

"I know my limits and I'm fine." She barked. "I'll sleep when I'm tired."

He was tempted to grab a tranquilizer dart and force the issue, but knew she'd never forgive him. He tried to never evoke Oliver's memory as a way to manipulate her, but he was desperate for her to listen to reason. If he couldn't get through to her, maybe Oliver could. "He wouldn't want this. He wouldn't tolerate this."

Her had snapped up and tears filled her eyes. "Don't you dare, John Diggle. Don't you tell me what he'd want. He left me to pick up the pieces and I'm doing the best I can until he, " she stopped herself and put another bite of chicken into her mouth.

"Until  he, what?" John asked with concern. "What aren't you telling me?"

He could see her debating whether or not to share with him. She swallowed heavily and turned to a Team Arrow monitor. "Oliver's alive."

"Felicity." He could feel a lump forming in his throat.

"I know what you're going to say, but I know he is. I've been running facial recognition, fingerprint and DNA programs since he left and nothing. A month ago I was at a research and development meeting at Applied Sciences and there was a presentation on gait analysis. Did you know that it is more accurate than facial recognition and more definitive than a fingerprint?" John's heart broke to hear the enthusiasm and optimism fill her voice. "I borrowed the prototype because I thought, no one walks like Oliver Queen. No one moves like him." She pulled up a grainy video. A man in a ball cap and chin length hair walked out of a building and into a waiting car. His face wasn't visible to the camera. "He's in Hong Kong."

"Felicity."

She pointed to the monitor. "I swear, Dig. That man is Oliver."

He knew this moment would come. He knew that she'd never truly accepted Oliver's death and that until she did, she would continue to deprive herself of sleep, food and a life of her own. "Felicity, Oliver is dead. Ra's al Ghul drove a sword through him, twice, and then pushed him off a cliff. Oliver is never coming home."

She shook her head. "I know what Nyssa told us, but he has come back from near death before."

"No one comes back from those injuries. Not even Oliver." He knelt beside her chair.  "Listen to me. I want him to be alive just as much as you do, but he is dead and he's not in Hong Kong or anywhere else." He took her chin and turned her face to him. "Oliver is never coming home."

She turned back to her video and shook her head. "I've been watching him for the better part of the past two years. If there is anyone who is an expert on how Oliver Queen moves, it's me."

John leaned into her monitor and she restarted the video. He tried to watch objectively and had to admit if he was walking down the street and saw the man on the video he would probably pick up speed to follow him to confirm his identity. He reached across Felicity and rewound the video to watch the man walk around the car. His right leg was slightly bowed as he walked and with every step John knew he was watching his best friend's distinctive swagger. He turned to look at Felicity who was grinning at him. "I'll make a few calls."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> Up next: Oliver believes he is returning to Starling City for the first time since he left on the Gambit.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver returns to Starling City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the kudos and comments on the last chapter.
> 
> This will be the first of two chapters I post today, as they are both short.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

As Maseo drove over the 52nd Street bridge, Oliver couldn't help the lump that seemed to be forming in his throat. It had been seven and a half years since he'd sailed out of the Starling City Harbor on the Queen's Gambit. Over the years, the fantasies about his homecoming had been numerous and vivid, but none of them included him sneaking into town with no plans of reuniting with his family. Actually, his plans were the very opposite of a reunion. He knew that if anyone learned that Oliver Queen was alive, it would put his life and the life of everyone he loved in danger. The plan was to find Tatsu and get back to Hong Kong without being killed by the Triad or spotted by the paparazzi.

Even in the darkness, Oliver could tell his hometown had undergone dramatic changes. The skyline was no longer recognizable and where the light's of the Glades should be, was what appeared to be an ocean of darkness. His breath hitched as his eyes sought out the familiar outline of Queen Consolidated and saw that his family's company logo had been replaced by one for Palmer Technologies. All he had wanted from the moment the Gambit sank was to get to come home and now he felt like a stranger in a strange land. He knew that his time away had changed him into a different man, but he'd always taken comfort in the idea of the constancy of home. Starling City no longer felt like home. "What the hell happened here?" He asked absently.

Maseo sighed. "There was an earthquake two years ago. Much of the city was destroyed and many people died."

"An earthquake?" Pain squeezed around his chest and Oliver hated that his amnesia was forcing him to hear something that he knew he'd probably already grieved over. His eyes fixed on the blue sign mocking him atop his father's building, he asked, "My family. Are they okay?" He couldn't imagine anything short of a catastrophe forcing his mother to sell their company. He had never met Ray Palmer, but the sight of his name on his family's building was setting his blood afire.

"They were not injured in the earthquake." Maseo exited the highway and Oliver craned over his shoulder to watch the former QC building vanish from his sight.

Oliver redirected his focus back to their mission."According to Xi, China White is in Iron Heights and no longer in control of the Triad. I'm worried that this might be a trap to lure you here."

"We will be careful, but this is the closest we've come to finding Tatsu in over two years. If Xi is right, the Triad will be breaking Chien Na Wei out of prison when she appears in court in two days. Tatsu will be there."

"It would be a lot easier if we could hack into the District Attorney's office and figure out exactly when they are transferring China White." A series of images flashed through Oliver's mind, but they were too quick for him to grab hold of. He was suddenly overcome with an overwhelming feeling of loss. Ever since he woke up after his fight with the Triad, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. He knew it had to be a normal feeling for someone with amnesia but it didn't make the emotions any less powerful. It was hard to believe that he'd been away from home for more than seven years and he didn't remember four of those years.

Maseo pulled up to a dilapidated building on the edge of the Glades. "It's an A.R.G.U.S. safe house."

Oliver took in the building and the neighborhood. By the location of the building, he expected to see drug dealers and prostitutes selling their wares. Back in the day, this neighborhood would've been rife with the criminal underclass. He wondered if the earthquake had succeeded in pushing the criminals of the Glades out of the city or if they'd all died when the city was leveled. He couldn't think of another reason for this neighborhood to appear safe. However, even without criminals out front, the building still didn't look inviting. He turned his head to the east, towards his childhood home. He was less than twenty miles from his mom, sister and his own bed. Taking a deep breath to clear his mind of the tantalizing promise of home and family, he turned to Maseo with a wry grin. "Amanda sure knows how to spoil her operatives."

The inside of their safe house apartment was clean with sparse furnishings. There was a small Formica kitchen table, a sofa and four cots folded in half and against one of the walls. Oliver grimaced as he swung his duffle off his shoulder and onto the sofa. "Are you in pain?" Maseo asked with concern.

Oliver rolled his shoulders. It had been seventy-two hours since they left Hong Kong. Each leg of their journey became progressively more grueling and his chest and side were throbbing. "I'm fine. Just a little stiff from all the travel."

Maseo moved into the kitchen and began to rummage through the cabinets. "It's past time for your medicine. I will prepare it while you set up our gear."

"With you mothering me, I won't feel the urge to see my own while we're in town." Oliver joked. Maseo rolled his eyes and set a kettle to boil on the stove. "I'm still surprised Amanda gave you permission to bring me. With all the changes in Starling over the past seven years, I don't think I'll be too much help with native information on the city's infrastructure."

"Your knowledge or lack of knowledge of the city is irrelevant. I brought you for your other skill set. Having you with me is Tatsu's best chance of getting her out of here alive."

Oliver moved to the window and peered through the blinds. As he studied the street he really hoped Maseo's faith in him wasn't misplaced. He'd screwed up so many times and Maseo had always been there to help him clean up his messes and save his life. For once, he wanted to be the one who fixed their problems. Oliver set up two of the cots and dropped heavily onto one. He was so tired he felt like he'd be able to sleep for a week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always appreciated.
> 
> Up Next: Lyla brings Felicity news.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity learns about Oliver's first time in Hong Kong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my second offering of the day.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Felicity paced the perimeter of the Foundry. It had been seventy-two hours since she'd convinced Dig that she'd found Oliver in Hong Kong. She had gone to Ray that night and asked him to let her use his personal jet but told him he couldn't ask her why she needed it. He'd just shrugged his shoulders and told her his jet was at her disposal whenever she wanted it. Felicity had expected to leave for Hong Kong immediately, but Dig had convinced her to wait. He explained that they needed to be tactical when they made their move since they didn't know why Oliver had allowed them to think he was dead. Felicity knew that for Oliver not to come home to her meant that he must either be in some type of danger or working an angle they weren't aware of. So, she had agreed to wait, but every second that went by that she wasn't actively pursuing Oliver, she felt as if she had ants crawling beneath her skin. She needed to be doing something. Knowing that he was out there, somewhere, alive brought her comfort, but it was also making her crazy.

The sound of the door opening had her moving to the bottom of the stairs. As she watched Dig and Lyla descend the steps she noticed that she'd adopted Oliver's nervous habit of rolling her thumb against her index finger. Balling her hands into fists against her thighs, she began peppering her friends with questions. "Did you find him? Is he in Hong Kong? Should I get Ray's jet ready?" Dig took hold of her elbow and led her to her chair. She could tell by the look on his face that he had news that he didn't want to tell her. Before he could speak, she begged, "Don't. Don't tell me he's dead."

Instead of Dig, Lyla spoke as she pulled a chair to face her. "Felicity?" She asked, drawing the blonde's attention away from her husband. "What has Oliver told you about his time away?"

A cynical laugh left Felicity's lips. Away? Why did everyone speak about those five years like he was on some extended holiday? Noticing the folder sitting on Lyla's lap, Felicity felt fear begin to crawl up her spine. Whatever information Lyla was holding was enough to make Dig look like he was about to break her heart. "I know that he wasn't on Lian Yu the whole time. I know he wasn't alone. I know that he learned to speak Cantonese and Russian during that time. I know that he was somehow initiated into the Bratva and at some point he learned how to fly a plane." Felicity could feel tears welling in her eyes. "I know that he was tortured, stabbed, shot and burned. I know that he watched people he cared about die in front of him. I know that he had to make terrible choices. I know that he did whatever it took to survive. Which is how I know Ra's al Ghul did not kill him." She took a deep breath when Dig squeezed her shoulder.

"Oliver worked for A.R.G.U.S." Lyla said softly.

"He never told me that, but I'm not surprised. I knew that Oliver and Amanda had had prior dealings with one another." Felicity said, bracing herself for whatever news Lyla was going to share next.

"After the Amazo sank, Waller rescued Oliver from the wreckage and brought him to Hong Kong." Dig said as he pulled a chair over so the three made a small circle.

"That was year three. Why would Amanda rescue Oliver and not return him home?" Amanda Waller was a ruthless woman and if she wanted Oliver for something, it wasn't to join a book group.

Lyla sighed. "Oliver interfered with an operation on Lian Yu. A.R.G.U.S. had been working to take down Chien Na Wei for years and when Oliver killed Fryers, Amanda's plans were upended."

"Wait. Fryers?" Felicity stood up and began to pace as she tried to remember what Oliver had told her about the mercenaries that were on Lian Yu during his first year as a castaway. "Fryers was planning on bringing down a passenger plane with a missile? A.R.G.U.S was going to murder all those people in order to kill one person?"

"Not any one person, Chien Na Wei." Lyla said defensively.

"China White." Dig said.

Felicity froze and looked at Dig. "China White? Our China White that is currently residing in Iron Heights courtesy of you and Oliver last year?" Dig nodded and she turned to Lyla. "What the hell kind of government agency is A.R.G.U.S.?"

Lyla locked eyes with Felicity. "We do what needs to be done."

Dig huffed. Felicity pointed a shaking finger to Lyla's lap. "What's that?"

Lyla held out the folder to Felicity. "Johnny asked me to take a look at the footage from Hong Kong. We weren't able to confirm that it was Oliver, but we were able to identify the man inside the car." Felicity took the folder and raised her eyebrows. "His name is Maseo Yamashiro and he was Oliver's handler."

Felicity sat heavily in her chair. In a raspy voice, she asked, "His handler?" Tears began to fall down her cheeks. "Like you're the handler of the Suicide Squad?"

"Felicity. I know this is a lot for you to take in." Lyla started.

Turning away from Lyla in disgust, she asked Dig in a broken voice. "What did Amanda do to him?"

Dig ran a hand across his face. "Amanda trained him as a sniper and as an interrogator."

"An interrogator?" Felicity always understood why Oliver had felt guilt over his time away. He'd felt responsible for the deaths of so many people. She never understood his self-loathing until this very moment. "You mean she made him torture people?" Felicity waited for Dig to nod. Anger began to pulse through her body. Turning to Lyla she asked, "What did she threaten him with if he didn't cooperate?"

Lyla shrugged. "I honestly don't know."

Of all the horrors Felicity had imagined befalling Oliver, she'd never once thought that their own government would've been one of them. She was clutching the folder Lyla had given her. "Why is A.R.G.U.S. holding Oliver now? What are they threatening him with? Sending us to jail? Making us work for her? What does that woman want from us?"

"Maseo is no longer with A.R.G.U.S." Lyla looked at Dig. "He left us five years ago and joined the League of Assassins."

Felicity laughed and she knew she sounded hysterical. "Of course he did."

"Chien Na Wei attacked Maseo's wife, Tatsu, and abducted her. Her body was never found. Maseo never recovered from it. He disappeared on one of our missions and joined the League. We've been hunting him ever since."

"So, are you trying to tell me that Oliver has joined the League of Assassins?" Felicity asked in disbelief.

"I don't think Maseo is acting on behalf of the League." Lyla leaned over and took Felicity's hands. "I think Maseo saved Oliver's life because he needs his help."

"Help with what?" Felicity asked.        

"Revenge." Lyla opened the folder and pointed to a picture of a familiar face. "I think Maseo wants Oliver to kill China White."

A smile began to spread across Felicity's face as a sense of hope began to bubble up from within. She turned to Dig and took his hand in hers. "China White is here. Oliver is coming home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> Up Next: Oliver and Maseo make a plan.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver runs into his past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who took the time to send me a comment or leave me a kudos. I appreciate it.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Oliver huddled against the side of the building trying in vain to stay dry as he waited for his partner to return. Of all the things he'd missed about Starling City, the perpetual cold spring rain was not one of them. Maseo and he had been observing the restaurant that Xi had informed them was the Triad's current base of operations. Oliver's stomach rumbled as the smells from the kitchen reminded him that he hadn't eaten since dawn. The sound of footsteps approaching forced Oliver to move deeper into the shadows of the alley.

" Come on." Maseo said from the sidewalk without breaking stride.

Oliver waited twenty seconds before following Maseo down the street and around the corner to where they'd parked their car. Maseo was already behind the wheel as Oliver slid into the passenger seat. A soggy brown paper bag sat on the console between them. He greedily pulled the bag onto his lap and began to withdraw the contents. He eagerly pulled the lid off a pint of wonton soup and began to drink the broth. Oliver felt himself relax as the warmth of the soup chased the chill away. "Learn anything?"

"It's definitely a front for the Triad." Maseo said as he scanned the street through the rear view mirror. "One of the good things about being Japanese in a Chinese restaurant, is they don't expect me to know the language. Something is definitely going down tomorrow night. It sounds like they are waiting for Chien Na Wei to leave the courthouse before they make their move."

Oliver popped a dumpling into his mouth. "Any mention of Tatsu?"

Maseo shook his head. "I don't think we're going to learn anything more here. We should check out the courthouse to determine where we should position ourselves."

"I don't think I should come with you. Oliver Queen isn't exactly unknown by the Starling City legal system. There's a chance I'll be recognized."

Maseo smirked. "And you wondered why Tatsu thought you were a bad influence on Akio."

"I'm pretty sure what I was doing for Waller was a better reason to keep me away from your son." Oliver couldn't keep the bitterness from his voice. "I was a selfish bastard as a teenager, but I never had any blood on my hands."

Maseo turned the engine on. "It has been many years since either of us could say our hands are clean." Maseo handed Oliver a thermos containing his medicinal tea and the younger man drank. Maseo pulled into traffic. "It will be dark soon. We will stick to the shadows around the courthouse."

Fifteen minutes later, Oliver was following Maseo around the perimeter of the courthouse. He had his ball cap pulled low over his eyes and the hood of his jacket over his cap. The rain was a blessing. No one was paying any attention to him from beneath their umbrellas as they hurried by him. As they rounded the corner of the street that separated the courthouse from the police headquarters Maseo stopped. A group of prisoners in orange jumpsuits filed out of a door into a waiting van. Each prisoner's ankles were chained together and linked to a chain that ran up the front of their legs to a set of handcuffs. There were two armed guards at the courthouse doors, three guards escorting the prisoners and an additional two with the van. Maseo pointed to the building opposite. "I think that rooftop will be the best vantage point for this door. It should be an easy shot for you."

Oliver nodded his head as he watched the prisoners. "I need to check out the roof to make sure it will serve my needs. With all the cops around, I think I'll need to make my escape above street level." He raised his head to check the distance between rooftops. He should be able to clear the gaps if he was able to get enough of a running start.

Maseo started to move again and Oliver fell into step behind him. As they crossed the street, Oliver watched a man embrace a woman exiting the main entrance of the courthouse. He grabbed Maseo's elbow and pulled him back in the direction they came. Oliver's heart hammered in his chest as he walked in front of the police headquarters. "What?" Maseo hissed.

"I recognized someone." Oliver said as he increased his pace and crossed the street from the opposite corner. He followed a delivery man into a service entrance of the building whose rooftop he wanted to stake out. He ducked into a stairwell and began to climb, Maseo close on his heels. He continuously scanned his environment for closed circuit cameras. It appeared that luck was on their side as the stairwell was camera free.

"Who was it?" Maseo asked.

"Someone I used to know, an ex-girlfriend." Oliver sighed at his own understatement. He hadn't recognized any someone, it was Laurel. Oliver wasn't sure what he was feeling, but it wasn't what he expected. After all this time he thought if he ever saw her again he would feel longing or guilt or love, but he wasn't feeling any of that. There was a time when she consumed his every thought. _When did I fall out of love with Laurel Lance?_ He reached the rooftop door and removed the wire cutters from his back pocket and snipped the wires to the door's alarm. He stepped back into the rain and took a deep clearing breath. He stepped over to the ledge and took in the prisoner entrance. He'd be able to make a shot easily enough. He moved to cover the perimeter, looking to identify his escape route. Maseo followed him silently as he moved around the roof top. Their plan didn't include Maseo joining him on the roof. Maseo was to stay on the ground so he could grab Tatsu as Oliver took out the Triad one by one with his sniper rifle. As he took in the sea of rooftops extending out before him, he was satisfied that he had a viable escape route. His planning done, he switched to a topic that had been needling him since he spotted Laurel. "Am I seeing someone?" Oliver asked aloud, surprising himself as much as Maseo.

"I don't know." Maseo responded. "Why?"

He wanted to say, _I just saw Laurel and I'm not feeling what I thought I would and the last person I remember being with has been dead for six years, so I thought maybe I've been seeing someone and that's why I don't have feelings for Laurel anymore._ Instead he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just wondering if I've been a monk the last four years." Oliver remembered the picture Laurel gave him before he went on the Gambit and he pulled out his wallet. As he searched the contents, he confirmed that he no longer carried Laurel's picture. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the last time he had looked at it. He knew he had it on him when he first came to in Hong Kong after the Amazo sank, but he couldn't remember getting rid of or losing the photo.

"If you're seeing someone, you never told me." Maseo placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm." Oliver put his wallet back into his pocket. "Yeah, I just wasn't expecting to see anyone I knew from before."

"Well, as long as she didn't see you. We can't afford anyone to recognize you before tomorrow night."

Oliver nodded in agreement. He leaned on the ledge and looked down onto the steps of the police headquarters. He watched as a woman with a bright pink raincoat and a floral umbrella ran up the stone steps. He grunted in surprise as he watched Quentin Lance step through the doors and extend an arm towards the woman in pink. She shook out her umbrella and allowed Lance to steer her through the doors and they disappeared from view. It appeared that his past was out in full force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. As always, your feedback is appreciated.
> 
> Up Next: Felicity seeks help from a concerned and suspicious Lance.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity asks Captain Lance for information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who sent such lovely feedback. You make it easy for me to be brave and to share my story.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Captain Lance held the back of her pink raincoat as Felicity slid her arms free. "Thank you," she said as she sat in a chair opposite from his desk. "I appreciate you agreeing to meet with me."

Lance hung her dripping coat on a hook and then sat in his chair. He studied the young woman seated before him. "Are you okay? You look terrible."

Felicity laughed. "And everyone tells me that I don't have a filter."

"I call them the way I see them. You look awful." He leaned against his chair as if trying to take in more of her appearance. "Any word from Queen lately?"

Without a body to bury or a plan to deal with Thea and Merlyn, Dig and Felicity had decided that the best way to explain Oliver's absence was to say he'd gone on an extended vacation. Lyla, with assistance from A.R.G.U.S., was going to help them fabricate a death certificate for Oliver. He was going to be the victim of an unfortunate overseas accident. Dig had just been waiting for Felicity's go ahead, but she'd been unready to declare him dead publicly. Now that she knew Oliver to be alive, she was relieved that they weren't going to have to come up with an explanation for him returning from the dead. She could see the headlines now, _Oliver "Lazarus" Queen Returns From The Dead, Again._ "He's surfing in Bora Bora."

"You should tell him to come home. You need someone to look after you." Lance said with a growl.

"You really shouldn't read the tabloids, they'll rot your brain. Oliver and I are just friends and I don't need anyone to take care of me." Felicity said with a defiant lift of her chin.

"Sweetheart, you look like you haven't slept or ate in days. You seem to forget that I have two daughters who fell under his spell before. Something terrible is going on with you and I think it either has to do with Queen breaking your heart or our mutual friend. Do you want to tell me why I only talk to you now and not him?"

"You talked to him yesterday." Felicity said as she smoothed out her skirt.

He playfully pointed an accusatory finger at her. "I haven't spoken to him in months."

She shouldn't be surprised that Lance realized that the voice on the other side of the synthesizer was no longer Oliver's. To Lance's ears the voice would've remained the same, but try as she might to imitate Oliver's speech patterns and style she had clearly not fooled him."Detective," she started, "I mean, Captain, I think you are the one that needs to get some rest. You've spoken to him at least once a week for the past year. He's been seen as recently as two days ago by your own officers."

He leaned further into his chair and folded his arms across his chest. "Unless the Arrow has started taking lessons from Miss Manners, I know that's not who I've been talking to."

She was glad Roy wasn't here for this conversation. He insisted she wasn't being grouchy enough as Arrow on the phone to convince the Captain that he was speaking to the Arrow."We've been working on him being more polite now that the city knows he's a hero." Felicity said as she shrugged. "I've been coaching him to only be grrrr with the bad guys."

Lance snorted and moved around his desk to sit on its edge, opposite his visitor. He reached out and lifted her chin. "Why hasn't he come to see me? I haven't seen him since right before Christmas. Has something happened to him? Is he hurt?" Felicity cursed herself as tears began to roll down her cheeks. Lance dropped into the chair next to her and took her hands. "Oh God, is he dead?"

Felicity squeezed his hands and smiled. Lance still didn't know that his own daughter was dead, so there was no way she could share what had driven her to tears in his office. "No, he's not dead but he, we need your help."

Lance sighed in relief. "What, you're not able to hack the SCPD for the info?" The wry grin left his face when she didn't smile. "Tell me what you need."

"I need to know everything you know about China White's transfer tomorrow." Felicity said as she removed her tablet from her purse.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "China White? Why do you want to know about her?"

"I think that someone is going to try to murder her tomorrow."

Lance sighed. "I'm not surprised. That woman has ticked off a lot of people over the years. Is the Triad finally turning on her? What's the Arrow's interest in all this?"

Felicity decided to give Lance as much truth as she could. "Someone is looking for revenge for the murder of his wife. The Arrow doesn't want anyone to throw their life away on China White."

"It's a pretty routine court appearance. Her lawyer is arguing for a new trial based on the fact that the Arrow illegally obtained the evidence that convicted her."

Felicity snorted. "It's not like he broke into her home. He just tied her up in front of the FEMA truck she hijacked after she murdered two people."

Lance smiled. "Yeah, well, I'm not saying she's going to win, but that's her argument."

"Are you taking any special precautions with the transfer?" Felicity wasn't sure if she was hoping that the transfer was being treated as routine or if they were treating China White like she was a visiting head of state. If it was too easy, Oliver might disappear before Dig could contact him. If security was too tight, there was too great a chance that there would be collateral damage.

"We weren't planning on it, but maybe I should ask Laurel to reschedule with the clerk."

"No." Felicity shouted. She took a deep breath to try to regain her emotions. The last thing she wanted was for there to be a delay. She believed that Oliver was on his way to Starling City to assassinate China White the next day. She had waited four months, she wasn't going to wait more than another twenty-four hours to see him again. "I'm sorry. We don't need to reschedule, we just need to alter the routine enough to throw the assassin off, but not enough to make him think we're on to him. Actually, the fewer cops around the better. Less chance they'll be caught in the crossfire. Maybe transfer her tonight and wait to move her back to Iron Heights until almost everyone has left for the day."

"Alright, I'll work with the court officers to transfer her tonight. I'll contact our mutual friend in the morning with the new schedule for her transfer back to Iron Heights."

An alert sounded from Felicity's tablet. She angled the screen so Lance couldn't see. It was her gait analysis program and it had spotted Oliver. As she pulled up the footage she knew without a doubt that she was looking at Oliver. Even with the ball cap and hood obscuring most of his face, she'd recognize his mouth anywhere. She never understood how anyone who knew Oliver and met the Arrow could be fooled by a mask and a hood. As she began to examine Oliver's surroundings instead of him, she realized that his image was captured right outside of the police station. She rose from her seat, tablet clutched to her chest. "I've got to go." Without waiting for a response she ran from Lance's office, her heart pounding in excitement. She'd been right, Oliver was actually here in Starling City and only a few feet from where she was. She ran into the rain and down the steps. She checked her tablet and watched Oliver cross the street behind the courthouse. If the building wasn't there, she'd be able to see him. She started to run, but her high heels made it impossible to do so with any speed. She kicked her shoes off and began to sprint in her bare feet. As she reached the spot Oliver had just appeared on camera her head began to swivel as she looked for him. Two blocks ahead she saw two men walking away from her. One of the men was definitely her partner. Any thought of discretion or preserving his mission flew out of her mind once she saw him. "Oliver," she screamed as she started running towards him. He didn't react and continued to walk at the same pace. She shouted his name again. Her feet pounding against the pavement as her heart hammered in her chest. She watched with despair as Oliver got into a car and it began to pull away from the curb. "Oliver." She kept running, willing herself to go faster. "Oliver. Oliver." She cried as the car rounded a corner and out of sight. She dropped to her knees in exhaustion and began to sob.

People stepped around her on the sidewalk and she couldn't be bothered to care what anyone thought about her. She was wet and shivering, but all she could think about was how close he'd been to her. If only she'd been faster, she could be holding him in her arms. Her pink coat was suddenly placed around her shoulders as a worried Captain Lance knelt by her side. He held her shoes and purse in one hand as he rubbed soothing circles on her back. "Come on Ms. Smoak, let's get you home." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcome.
> 
> Up Next: Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans.....


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The assassination, or not, of Chien Na Wei.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big end of year thank you to all my wonderful readers who have encouraged and supported all of my stories this year. I wish each of you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2015.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

One of the first lessons Maseo taught Oliver after he'd been 'rescued' by Waller was how to be still. He would make Oliver sit, stand or lay flat for hours at a time. If Oliver made any type of movement, it would result in a beating. Maseo would subject him to sleep deprivation, starvation, extremes in temperature, sudden noises and even vermin to try to break his concentration. It took Oliver three months before he succeeded in remaining completely still for eight hours. He'd learned to empty his mind of anything but his target. He learned to ignore the demands of his body and the distractions of the world around him. Oliver would become one with a single point in space and the rest of the universe would fall away. He felt nothing. He was nothing. It was his ability to detach himself from the world that enabled him to end the lives of strangers without remorse. They were nothing more than targets and he was nothing more than an instrument. Waller had forged him into a perfect weapon.

Oliver had been in position for five hours. His eyes never wavering from the prisoner entrance. Maseo had bribed an employee of the courthouse who, in exchange, revealed that China White had been transferred overnight. Her petition to have her conviction overturned had been denied and she was scheduled to return to Iron Heights along with all the other prisoners on the evening transport. The transfer was two hours past due, but Oliver only acknowledged the passage of time by switching out his scope for one with night vision.

The prison transport pulled up and the guards assumed their positions between the van and the entrance to the courthouse. As the entry door opened, prisoners began to exit in a single file. Oliver tracked each prisoner, but his target wasn't amongst them. As the door closed and the guards returned to the van, he spoke. "She's not here."

Maseo's voice responded tightly. "No sign of the Triad either. Hold your position."

Oliver continued to maintain his rhythmic breathing, his eyes never leaving the entry door. When the transport pulled away he said, "She's not leaving this way."

"Hold your position. I will take another perimeter sweep." Their communication link was silent for five minutes before Maseo spoke. "Triad on the east side. She must be coming this way. I need you here, now."

Oliver expertly dismantled his rifle so it fit into his unassuming average-sized backpack. He sprinted for the roof door as he put his arms through the strap and lifted the hood of his jacket over his head. He tried to visualize the plaza on the east side of the courthouse and determine what his options were to set up his rifle. Without knowing which door she was exiting, any building he picked would be a crap shoot. Less than two minutes after Maseo told him to come, Oliver was back on the sidewalk and heading towards his partner's position. He walked by three members of the Triad as he rounded the east side of the courthouse. Maseo was sitting on the ledge of a fountain, casually reading his smart phone. Oliver approached, raised his right leg to the ledge and began to tie his laces. Through gritted teeth he asked, "What's happening?"

Maseo lifted the phone to his ear. "Cops must have been spooked by the presence of the Triad. They're not being subtle about it. I've spotted at least ten of them."

Oliver cursed and began to tie his other laces. "If we can only see ten, there must be at least another ten we can't. I won't be able to take out all the targets from the ground. We're going to end up in a fire fight."

"We have no choice. We aren't leaving without Tatsu."

"It's going to be a bloodbath. We won't be any use to her if we're dead." Oliver also wasn't wild with the idea of his mom and Thea learning that not only had he not died on the Gambit he'd become an assassin instead of returning home to them. He didn't want them having to identify his body and mourn for him all over again.

"Your primary target is Chien Na Wei. Whatever happens, you take her out." Maseo's tone left no room for argument. "I will worry about everyone else."

Maseo was an excellent marksman, lethal in hand to hand combat and a brilliant tactician, but Oliver feared that tonight they were overmatched and out gunned. His friend wasn't thinking like a soldier with an objective but like a husband. Before he could voice his objections, he observed five members of the Triad moving quickly across the plaza. "They're on the move."

Maseo and Oliver followed the Triad as they moved to the north side of the building. A white van pulled up to an unmarked entry door and six guards, in full body armor, stepped out. Oliver picked up speed as he removed the handgun from the waistband of his jeans. He disengaged the safety and held the gun tightly against his leg as he crossed the street to get a better view of the door. Oliver saw movement at the side door and then all hell broke loose.

Gunfire erupted around him as the Triad took aim at the guards. The familiar sound of air being displaced by an arrow caught his attention as one Triad member fell with an arrow to the shoulder. "Archer on the roof." Oliver alerted Maseo. Before he could think too much about why there was an archer or the arrows that were whistling past him and eliminating the Triad targets, a woman in a blonde wig and black leather came out of nowhere and took out another Triad member with her bo staff. He started moving towards the door when he saw a woman with long white hair being escorted from the building. He raised his gun, the back of her head in his sights when she turned. "It's not her. It's a decoy."

"Are you sure." Maseo questioned.

"Yes." Oliver lowered his weapon and began to retreat. "Any sign of Tatsu?"

"No." Maseo echoed Oliver's frustration. "Fall back."

Oliver was turning to run when he heard a woman calling his name. He turned to see a petite blonde in glasses running towards him with her arms outstretched. He stood frozen as he watched the woman approach through a hail of bullets, seemingly unconcerned for her own safety. This woman clearly knew him but he was unable to put her face to a name or a place.

A large man wearing a domino mask and a green leather outfit with a hood that reminded him of Yao Fei's darted out into the street. The man was wearing a quiver and carried a bow. "Felicity," he shouted. Oliver noted that the man's voice was laced with fear.

The woman didn't react and continued towards Oliver. Her pursuer stopped and raised his bow and pointed it directly at Oliver. Oliver's own gun raised on instinct and he was about to fire when the woman threw herself in his sight's. "Oliver, don't." The man in green loosed his arrow and continued to chase the woman. Oliver waited for the impact from the arrow only to realize that the man had fired at and struck a member of the Triad who had a throwing star in his hand. It occurred to him that both the archer on the roof and on the ground, along with the woman with the staff were providing him cover. Nothing that was happening around him made any sense. He couldn't understand why complete strangers were trying to protect him. "Arsenal, now!" The woman shouted. "Now, shoot now!"

A hand grabbed onto Oliver's shoulder. He grabbed the wrist and pivoted. As the body came up over his shoulder his hood was pushed off. Oliver realized too late that it was Maseo he was about to slam into the pavement. A look of surprise spread across his friend's face as an arrow caught him in the back. Maseo went limp in his arms and pulled Oliver to the ground with him. A spray of gunfire had everyone else dropping to the ground too. Oliver felt for Maseo's pulse and was relieved to discover that his friend was alive. The arrow had fallen to the ground and Oliver discovered instead of having an arrowhead at the tip there was a hypodermic needle that must have delivered some type of sedative. He did a situational assessment and realized that if he tried to carry Maseo out of the area they'd both either be killed or captured. His primary mission remained. He needed to take out China White and discover Tatsu's location. With a silent apology and a promise to come back for him, Oliver lifted his hood and sprinted into the shadows with the woman still calling his name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is welcome.
> 
> Up Next: The chase for Oliver is on.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diggle confronts Felicity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! I am celebrating the new year by posting a new chapter for this story and the first chapter of The Year of Good Things, the final installment in The Ties That Bind trilogy. My New Year's resolution is to write more.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave me a comment or a kudos. It is very much appreciated.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

"Oliver." Felicity cried out to his retreating form. She was laying on the pavement with Diggle pressed against her. When the machine gun started firing, Dig had tackled her to the ground and protected her body with his own. She watched helplessly as Arsenal's injection arrow struck the wrong target and Oliver vanished into the night. Diggle was issuing commands to the rest of the team but Felicity was unable to focus. She couldn't get the confused look on Oliver's face out of her mind. He hadn't recognized her. He wasn't pretending as a form of cover, he truly didn't know her. He had pointed a gun directly at Diggle like he didn't know his own best friend. Dig hauled her to an upright position. With his arm tightly banded around her waist, her back was against his chest and her feet dangling inches from the ground. He carried her like she weighed no more than his infant daughter. Dig ran in the opposite direction Oliver had disappeared in and she couldn't help the keening sound that escaped her lips. "Dig, he's getting away."

Dig was suddenly passing her into the arms of Ted Grant. "Get her the hell out of here. Back to the Foundry," he shouted to Ted and Laurel. "Arsenal, shoot her if she resists." He turned and ran back in the direction they came from. Over the comms she heard him say, "A.T.O.M., I'm going to need a lift."

Felicity went limp as Ted and Laurel returned her to the team's van. "It's going to be okay, Blondie. We're going to get him back." Roy said soothingly over the comms. "Dig will bring him home."

Laurel punched the access code into the Foundry's basement access door. Felicity didn't protest that Ted was going to be given entry to Oliver's secret lair. Ted and Ray had been brought in as back up for this mission and Oliver's identity, along with Dig's and Roy's, had been compromised. Dig had made the decision and she knew it was pointless to argue, but she still felt as if she was betraying Oliver.

Dig wasn't responding to any of her entreaties, but she could hear him speaking with Roy and Ray over the comms. She quickly went to her monitors, trying to find any sign of Oliver on any of the camera feeds around the courthouse. "Felicity." Laurel said softly. "I know you want to look for him, but right now you need to protect him. You need to erase all of the footage around the courthouse. His face was visible."

Roy's feet sounded on the stairs. "She's right, Felicity. You need to start scrubbing social media too - there were a lot of civilians with phones."

She took a deep breath, they were both right. She needed to think. Oliver needed her clear-headed. "The fastest way to take care of social media sightings is to just bring it all down. I'm going to crash Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest," Felicity said to herself as her fingers flew across her keyboards. "Maybe I should just take out all cellular service, just to be safe." She could feel her mind clearing as she enacted the emergency protocols she'd created for situations when their secret idenities are compromised in public.

"Can she really do that?" Ted asked Laurel from where he was examining the case that held Oliver's uniform.

"We're just grateful she's on our side." Roy said as he slid off his mask and returned his bow to its case.

Felicity had just finished erasing the courthouse's and police headquarters' recordings when the basement door opened again. Dig entered, followed by Ray, dressed as the A.T.O.M., who carried a man over his shoulder. Felicity moved to intercept Ray when Dig arrested her movement by grabbing her shoulders. In a voice that made Felicity jump, he bellowed, "What the hell were you thinking? When I agreed to let you come, you promised to stay in the van."

"I thought he was going to shoot someone." She yelled back.

"Yeah, you!" Dig let go of her shoulders and lowered his head to his chest before he spoke again. "This is my fault. I knew after what happened with Lance last night that you're emotionally compromised. I should've made you sit this out."

Felicity felt as if she'd been slapped. In all the time she'd known John, not once had he ever questioned her judgment or treated her like an unruly child. Dig scolded Oliver, never her. "I couldn't let him kill her. He's clearly under duress."

Dig's face had gone purple and she was worried he was about to pop a vessel. "You ran into the middle of a firefight. If he hurt you or killed you tonight, how would he ever live with himself?"

"He wasn't going to hurt me." Felicity said confidently.

"He was pointing a gun at you." Dig pointed at her.

Under her breath she muttered, "Technically, he was pointing it at you." She didn't know if it was her nerves or the adrenalin leaving her body but she started to giggle.

Dig sighed and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her head in his chest and snaked her arms around him. "What would I do if anything happened to you?"

"I'm so sorry, John. You're right, I wasn't thinking." She looked up into his warm brown eyes and he smiled.

"It's okay," his voice had returned to the soft gentle one she always took comfort in.

A huge smile spread across her face. "John, he's alive. He's really alive and he's here in Starling."

Dig smiled back. "He is alive and I promise you, Felicity, I will bring him home."

"Felicity?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

Felicity had forgotten about the body Ray had carried in. She moved towards the med table, where she recognized Maseo Yamashiro from the photograph Lyla gave her. She demanded, "Where is he?"

"Felicity? You are Felicity?" He asked trying to sit up. Dig put a hand on his shoulder and forced him back to the table.

"Yes, I'm Felicity." She said trying to sound friendly and non-threatening. Maybe, he'd just tell her what she wanted to know.

"When I first took him off the mountain, he cried out for you in his delirium. He begged for your forgiveness." Maseo appeared to be genuine in his declaration, but Felicity also knew he had worked for both Amanda Waller and Ra's al Ghul, so nothing he said could be taken at face value.

"Please, tell us where he is," she begged.

"When the Demon ran his sword through Oliver's chest I believed him to be dead. Out of respect, I went to claim his body to give him the burial he deserved. He should've died from his injuries, but he didn't. I believe he fought to live because of you."                    

Felicity's chest became tight and her vision began to darken. "I need a minute." She pulled away from the group and made her way out into the cool night air. She leaned against the brick walls and allowed gravity to sink her to the ground. She'd never really believed that Oliver was dead. She thought that the League had declared him dead in order to keep him in their ranks. She'd comforted herself with the belief that Ra's al Ghul had not harmed him, but made him another offer - join the League and everyone he loved would be spared and all blood debts forgiven. To hear confirmation that Nyssa's story hadn't been a lie, it felt like a blade had slid through her own chest.

"I'm sorry I missed." Roy sank to the ground beside her. "He was in my sights and I missed."

"It wasn't your fault. Oliver never makes anything easy." Felicity rested her head on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he took her hand.

Felicity pulled on one of his straps. "He didn't know who I was."

"We'll figure it out. We could ask Caitlyn to come and run some tests. Barry could have her here in a flash." Roy squeezed her hand.

She smiled weakly at him. "I just want him home. I want him safe."

"What Blondie asks for, Blondie gets." Roy stood and pulled her up with him. "Maseo is taking Dig to Oliver."

Anxiety fluttered in her belly. "Why is he suddenly cooperating? What if it's a trap?"

"Evidently, he helped to train Sara when she joined the League. He has heard stories about us from her and Nyssa and is inclined to trust us. He says that he and Oliver need our help and that he is willing to take Dig to their safe house. They're taking Laurel with them because Oliver remembers his time from before the Gambit. Maseo thought a familiar face would help convince Oliver to come back with them."

"Oh." Felicity said. Before he left to confront Ra's al Ghul, Oliver had told her that of the two things he knew, one was that he loved her. Felicity believed in Oliver's love and it is that belief that has sustained her for the four months he's been missing. She never contemplated that he'd come home and no longer love her.

Roy slung his arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry, Blondie. Oliver only has eyes for you, no matter what."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcomed.
> 
> Up Next: Oliver's past finally catches up to him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver learns the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments and kudos. They are appreciated.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Oliver moved quickly through the safe house as he gathered Maseo's and his belongings. He knew that Maseo would be able to withstand several hours of torture before he gave up Oliver's location, but he wasn't going to risk it. They couldn't afford for him to be captured too. Everything depended on Oliver making a clean get away so he could come up with a plan. He needed to find another place to spend the night so he could determine his next steps.. He needed to identify the archers and the woman in the mask and the woman calling for him. They appeared to be helping him right up until the moment the arrow meant for him struck Maseo. It was safe to say that the archers and not the Triad were holding Maseo. Not for the first time since he woke with amnesia did he curse his absent memories. The woman in pink clearly knew who he was and if he could only remember who she was he might be able to figure out what they wanted from him and where they were keeping Maseo. Oliver also needed to return to surveilling the Triad. He needed to pick his next interrogation target so he could learn Tatsu's location. China White might be too hard to reach inside Iron Heights, but he could still find his friend's wife. He also needed to ditch their car before he found a place to spend the night. He had a lot to do and the clock was ticking.

Oliver studied his reflection in the mirror as he considered how recognizable he really was. He needed to find a place to sleep and was hoping to do it in a motel and not some highway overpass. It had begun to rain and his knees were aching from old injuries he couldn't remember sustaining, so finding a warm and dry place to plan his next move was his preference. Satisfied that the long hair and the full beard were disguise enough, he grabbed their packed bags and moved to the front door. He saw the doorknob begin to twist and realized he'd been too distracted by his thoughts to notice the key turning in the lock. Oliver dropped his bags and removed the gun from his jeans. The gun was leveled at the door when Maseo stepped through. "Damn it." Oliver cursed as he lowered the weapon. "How did you escape?"

Maseo moved decisively and took the gun from his hand. "I need you to sit down."

Oliver eyed the open door warily and found himself sitting involuntarily when Laurel Lance stepped through the door. His eyes darted to Maseo in betrayal. "What have you done?"

Laurel moved around Maseo to approach Oliver. Try as he might, he couldn't understand how she was standing there. Maybe, Maseo hadn't been as sedated as he thought and took a passing Laurel hostage in order to escape. There were tears in her eyes, but she appeared unhurt. "Ollie, you're alive." She put her arms around him, but he was too stunned to lift his arms and return her embrace. "She said you were alive, but none of us believed her."

"Who said it?" Oliver asked still confused by what was unfolding around him. Laurel in his arms felt surreal.

"Felicity." A gentle voice he didn't recognize said from the doorway. Oliver rose to his feet and pulled Laurel behind him. He didn't recognize the man, but the man had a soft smile and his eyes were moist. "Man, it is so good to see you again."

"I don't know you." Oliver said guardedly.

"No, you don't remember me. There's a difference," he said grinning.

Laurel placed her hand on his back. "Ollie, his name is John Diggle. You trust him with your life. I need you to listen to him and then I need you to come with us." Laurel squeezed his arm. "It is really good to see you, Ollie. I'm going to let you three talk." She moved to the door and placed her hand on John's bicep as she walked by. "I'll be downstairs, good luck."

Watching her leave, sparked Oliver into action. "Laurel, wait." She paused at the door. "Laurel, I'm so sorry, about everything. I," he was suddenly at a loss for words. So many times he had rehearsed what he would say to her if he ever got to see her again, but with her standing there in front of them, they all seemed insufficient. Words would never be able to fix everything he'd done. It was foolish of him to ever think he could make up for all the lies and hurt he'd devastated her family's lives with. "I'm sorry."

A gentle smile spread across her face. "I know, Ollie. I forgive you," and with those words of unexpected grace she slipped through the door and vanished from his sight. Oliver blinked back tears and turned his focus back to the men.

John stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him. He extended a hand to Oliver. "John Diggle."

Oliver took the offered hand. "Oliver Queen."

Maseo gestured to the sofa and pulled a chair from the kitchen to sit opposite from Oliver. "I haven't been honest with you." Oliver raised his eyebrows. "You weren't injured by the Triad."

Oliver nodded. A pit had formed in his stomach the moment Laurel stepped through the door but now the pit had turned into a gaping chasm. "Okay."

"You were wounded in a duel with the Demon, Ra's al Ghul." Maseo said grimly.

Oliver snorted. "A duel? Did I wake up in the seventeenth century? Why would I duel anyone, let alone someone called the Demon?"

Maseo gave Oliver a pointed look to indicate that the time for jokes was over. "He is the head of the League of Assassins."

Oliver snorted again. "They're a myth. Boogey men we tell ourselves about in order to make the real monsters seem less scary."

"I thought that way once too, but after we thought Chien Na Wei murdered Tatsu, I took Akio and left Hong Kong. After I left Akio somewhere safe, I wandered the world in grief and eventually found myself in Nanda Parbat. I met a warrior and she initiated me into the League of Assassins."

Oliver considered what his friend was saying and asked, "I followed you and joined the League?"

Maseo shook his head. "Once I was gone with Akio, Waller lost her leverage over you and you ran. I don't know what happened to you after you left Hong Kong."

Oliver turned to Diggle. "Do you know what happened to me?"

"Some of it. You spent some time in Russia and then back on Lian Yu before you came home two and a half years ago." Dig said.

"I came home? My family knows I'm alive?" Oliver stood and moved to the windows. He'd been reunited with his mom and Thea and he couldn't remember. "Why don't I remember any of this?"

Maseo sighed heavily. "I will get to this. After I went to Nanda Parbat I was assigned a woman to train, Ta-er al-Sahfer, but you knew her as Sara Lance."

Oliver spun around, his eyes wide. "Sara's alive? Impossible, I watched her die."

Diggle stood up. "Oliver, I'm sorry, she survived the sinking of the Amazo, but she was murdered this past October."

Oliver could feel the hope from hearing Sara had survived the Amazo to despair on learning of her murder. Five seconds ago he'd believed her to be long dead and now he felt the grief of her death like it was fresh. "You know about the Amazo?"

Diggle approached him cautiously and placed a hand on his shoulder. He spoke softly so only Oliver could hear. "I know about the Amazo, Ivo, the Mirakuru, the choice you were forced to make between Sara and Shado and about Slade."

Oliver couldn't help the small gasp that escaped his lips. "I've never told anyone about any of that."

"Well, you told me." Diggle gently squeezed his shoulder. "I know you don't remember, but I've been keeping your secrets since you returned home."

If he had told this John Diggle about Slade and the choice between Sara and Shado, they must actually be friends. Turning his attention back to Maseo. "Sara was in the League?"

"Yes and when she was murdered, the League demanded you find her murderer." Maseo turned to Diggle who shook his head. "You were unable to turn over her killer. The Demon threatened to murder fifty citizens of Starling City, so you offered yourself up as Sara's murderer."

A vice gripped his heart and he turned to Diggle. "Did I kill Sara?"

"No, man, you didn't." He moved back to the sofa. "Right now, who killed her is unimportant. Bringing you home is all that matters."

Oliver nodded. "So, clearly I lost the duel with the Demon."

Maseo moved to stand in front of Oliver. "You challenged him to a duel and I served as your second. Your injuries were grievous and I thought you were already dead when he pushed you off the cliff."

Oliver shut his eyes in disbelief. It seemed impossible that he'd survived being stabbed and dropped off a clif. "I don't remember any of this," Oliver said incredulously.

"I hope you never do." Maseo gripped Oliver's arm. "When I went to retrieve your body for burial, I was shocked you yet lived. I took you some place warm, cleaned your wounds and gave you pain killers to help ease you into death. You would not surrender. I shouldn't have been surprised, you were always so stubborn." Diggle snorted and Maseo grinned. "As soon as I realized you were going to fight for your life, I stitched your wounds and got you blood transfusions and antibiotics."

"Is that how I ended up in Hong Kong?"

"Once I realized you were going to live, I knew we had a problem. The Demon believed you dead. If Oliver Queen was to return home alive, the blood debt would remain owed and you would be back where you started. I knew that as soon as you were conscious and able to move, you'd insist on returning home regardless of the danger. I had to find a way to slow you down." Maseo lifted Oliver's backpack and removed the thermos. "Votura."

Oliver took the thermos from Maseo's hand. "Mind control? You've been using mind control on me?"

"I started giving you the tea while you were still delirious since you were more susceptible to suggestion. I told you that you couldn't remember anything after Tatsu went missing. Every day, after each dose, I reinforced that you remembered nothing after we separated."

Oliver clutched his fists in anger at his friend's betrayal. "Why, why would you make me forget the last five years?"

"I did it to save you. You could barely walk when you regained consciousness. You were in no condition to confront the Demon and I had to save you from yourself." Maseo turned to Diggle. "You know him. You know I speak the truth when I say he would've confronted the Demon again, even if he couldn't raise a sword to defend himself, in order to protect the people he left behind."

"Is Tatsu even alive?" Oliver couldn't deal with another life being pulled away from him.

"Yes. Yes, she's alive. All this time, I thought she was dead, but right before I was summoned back to the Demon's side when he decided to seek justice from you, I learned that she is alive and being forced to work for the Triad. I knew I would need help and then you survived and I knew you would help me."

"If you knew I would help you, why the Votura? Why not ask for my help?"

"I never doubted that you would help me, but I knew you'd tell me you had to go home first. I thought that I could use rescuing Tatsu as a motivation for you to train and return to your former strength. Once you were strong enough to help me rescue her, you'd be strong enough to face Ra's al Ghul again. I promise, Oliver. Once we had Tatsu back, I was going to tell you all of this and stop administering the Votura. I always planned to reunite you with your family."

"I want to go home." Oliver said. He was suddenly exhausted and no longer cared about the lies or the reasons for them. He just wanted to put his arms around his mom and Thea. "I want to see my family."

Diggle shook his head. "First, I'm taking you to Felicity."

"Felicity?" He pictured the woman running through a hail of bullets to get to him. He thought that he must mean a great deal to this woman that she'd risk her life to reach him. It then occurred to him that if he meant something to her, she must mean something to him. "The woman in the pink coat is important."

Diggle picked up two of Oliver's bags. "Yes, Felicity, she is everything. She has waited for you long enough and I promised her I'd bring you home to her."

Oliver walked over to the kitchen sink and emptied the contents of the thermos. He wanted to remember everything about his life. He wanted to remember the first time he saw his mom and Thea after he returned. He wanted to laugh again at whatever funny thing Tommy said when he came home. He wanted to know how he got Laurel to forgive him and remember Sara alive and vibrant and not drowning. He wanted to remember the man who stood before him with hope and friendship in his eyes and willingly carried his secrets. He needed to remember the woman with the ponytail and glasses who would risk her life for his. "I'm ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcomed.
> 
> Up Next: Oliver and Felicity are reunited.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity is reunited with Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter and Maseo's reasoning generated a lot of comments. I appreciate everyone who shared their thoughts with me.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Felicity sat at one of the upstairs high-top tables at Verdant. Ray, Roy and Ted sat with her, but she didn't hear a word any of them said. Dig had sent her a text that he was with Oliver. Oliver was unhurt and Dig was bringing him back to the Foundry. He asked Felicity to wait for him at Verdant so he could speak with her before she saw Oliver. She chewed her lip as she worried why Dig needed to see her before she could see Oliver again. A drink was placed in front of her and she was snapped out of her reverie. "Everything okay?" Thea asked Felicity. "You look like you've been crying, which I find hard to believe with all this handsome company." If Thea thought it strange that Felicity was sitting at her club with a CEO, a boxer and her ex, she didn't give any indication.

Felicity smiled, "I'm fine, it's just been a long day."

"In that case," Thea picked up Felicity's glass and handed it to her, "drink up."

Felicity took the glass and threw the shot of whiskey back in one go. Oliver was coming home. He could be right below her even as she swallowed. The burn that seared her throat soon turned into a warmth radiating through her chest. "Thanks."

"Oh," Thea said as she fumbled in her pocket, "I'm glad you're here. I wanted to show you this because no one else will find it as funny." She held up her phone and revealed a picture of a grinning Oliver holding a surf board in front of crystal clear blue water. "My big brother is surfing in Bora Bora. Can you believe it?"

For the past four months, Felicity had been responding as Oliver to Thea's texts to him and sending her updates on his 'world travels' along with photos of his adventures. Every time she photo-shopped him into a picture in front of the pyramids or the Great Wall of China, she felt closer to him. The adventures she had sent him on, for Thea's benefit, had kept him alive for herself too. At night she would close her eyes and imagine him walking for miles along the Great Wall, scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef and stopping in open air markets to buy little trinkets that he thought would make her smile. She would study the globe to decide where to send him to next, always trying to pick a place he would like. Felicity took the phone from Thea's hand and enlarged Oliver's smiling face. She knew that the photo was fake, but that smile had been real. Felicity had taken the photo one Saturday last August when she'd convinced him to go with her to the farmer's market down at the marina. If she had to pick one perfect day to live every day, it would've been that day. They'd spent the whole day eating, listening to local bands and watching street performers. She took this picture of him as he watched a flame eater swallow a sword. She had teased him that he was studying the guy to learn a new trick for the Arrow. He teased right back and told her that he already knew that trick and maybe he'd show her one day. She remembered laughing as he put his arm through hers and thinking how much she loved him and wished that every day could be like that one. She had laid awake in bed many a night since Oliver left to face Ra's and wondered if things would've been different if she'd been brave enough to tell him she loved him on that summer day. As she looked at the photo and his smiling face she couldn't help but smile as her heart filled with love for this impossible man. "Thea, he's coming home."

Thea beamed back. "When? He didn't tell me."

Felicity grinned sheepishly, "Soon, but I think he wanted it to be a surprise."

Thea gave Felicity the patented Queen shoulder squeeze. "I promise to act surprised." Thea smiled at the rest of the table and disappeared into the crowd.

Felicity noticed Roy staring across the table at her. She shrugged, "I couldn't help it. I'm so happy, I couldn't not tell her."

Roy reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "That's okay. I'm just glad you chose to send her all those texts. It will be so much easier now that he's back. He won't have to explain where he was."

A warm hand squeezed her shoulder and she looked behind her to see Diggle. "You ready?" He asked. She nodded eagerly. "Did you have anything to drink?" She nodded again. "Good." He grabbed the drink in front of Roy and threw it back in one gulp. Laurel came up to the table and gave her a reassuring smile. Taking her hand, Dig led her away from the table. She followed him down the club steps and through the dancing crowd to the locked basement door. Her heart was hammering in time to the pulsing music. He leaned against the door and sighed heavily. "He doesn't remember you. He doesn't remember anything of the past five years."

Felicity refused to cry as she thought of all the terrible things that Ra's al Ghul could have done to him to cause him to forget. "He has brain damage?"

Dig lifted her chin, looked into her eyes and smiled. "No more than usual." He chuckled. "In yet another example from the Oliver Queen coincidence files, Maseo gave Oliver the drug Merlyn gave Thea when she killed Sara. Maseo used a form of hypnosis, along with the Votura, to make Oliver forget his memories of the past five years."

"Can he get them back?" She asked trying to force the fear of Oliver never remembering her away.

"Maseo believes that once the drug is out of his system and with the help of meditation, Oliver will remember everything and be back to the guy we know and love." Diggle pulled her into a hug. "It's going to be okay. He's home. There's more to the story, but I figure you'd rather just see him for yourself."

She let go of Dig and nodded. "Thanks." He opened the door and she followed him down the basement steps. It took everything in her not to push Dig aside and rush down the stairs and into Oliver's arms. The only thing that kept her pace calm and controlled was not knowing what to expect when she met him. She was a stranger to him now and she couldn't just throw herself at him.

She paused at the bottom of the stairs. He was watching her and appeared to be nervous. His hair was long and his face was obscured by a full bushy beard, but his eyes shone with what she believed was quintessential Oliver Queen hope. He took a step towards her and extended his hand, "Felicity Smoak? Hi, I'm Oliver Queen."

A laugh bubbled out of her chest and she rushed towards him, stopping when her toes touched his. She was desperate to touch him, to prove to herself that he was real and not some dream, but this man wasn't her Oliver. Felicity looked up into his eyes and she knew that the man looking back at her was the same man who she'd slowly fallen in love with and who had fallen in love with her. He smiled at her and said, "Hey."

She stopped denying herself and reached up with one hand to run her fingers through his hair. Felicity caressed his face and cupped his cheek. He leaned his head into her hand and gave her a small smile. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay now. Maseo took good care of me." He smiled at her and her breath hitched. It didn't seem possible for him not to remember her when he was giving her the indulgent smile he always gave her when she fussed over him.

It took all her willpower not to demand that he remove his shirt so she could inspect him for injuries. Instead, she dropped her hand from his cheek and placed both of them on his chest. When she felt his heart beat, she twisted her fingers into the material of his shirt. "Oliver," she sobbed as she dropped her head against his chest. He hesitated for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her. When he tightened his embrace, it was like a dam burst inside her and the tears escaped from her in a torrent. Everything she'd hoped for from the moment he left to face Ra's was coming true. He'd come home to her and she was holding him in her arms, listening to his heart beat and feeling the reassuring rise and fall of his chest. _I love you_ could wait. All she needed was his arms around her and her world once again made sense. One of his hands cupped the back of her head and he whispered soothing words. After what could have been seconds or hours, she felt a third hand rub her back and squeeze her shoulder. She reluctantly released Oliver and allowed Dig's hand on her shoulder to guide her back to his side.

She gazed up at Oliver and he gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry, I don't remember. I wish I did."

She wiped her tears and smiled brightly at him. "That's okay, you will and until then, I'll remember for the both of us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcomed.
> 
> Up Next: The hunt is on for Tatsu (and Oliver's memories).


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver wakes up in the Foundry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments and kudos. Your feedback is appreciated.
> 
> This chapter wouldn't cooperate and refused to drive the plot forward. I hope you don't mind a little Olicity moment in lieu of plot.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

The first thing he was aware of was a smell. It was sweet and warm and a memory tugged at the back of his mind. He inhaled deeply and the aroma of leather, sweat, mildew and coffee combined with vanilla and jasmine. It smelled like home. He opened his eyes slowly and was greeted by the sight of Felicity sitting behind her computers. She was chewing on her bottom lip as she read whatever was on the screens in front of her. He was in his dad's old steel foundry that he'd, evidently, turned into some type of base of operations. Dig and Felicity had been stingy with the details. Maseo insisted it would be better for his memories to return on their own, so Oliver was stuck with lots of unanswered questions. Maseo had wanted to slowly decrease the amount of Votura Oliver was ingesting, but Oliver preferred to go cold turkey. He remembered going into withdrawal with a fever, the shakes and vomiting twelve hours after his last dose but he didn't remember anything beyond Felicity leading him to the bed he was currently in.

He observed the blonde who was only a few feet from where he lay. She had told him that he slept there quite a bit before he left, but the pillow and sheets only smelled of her. He wondered if he'd placed the bed where it was so he could watch her. He could think of worse ways to wake up. When Dig first told him he was bringing him home to Felicity, he'd been nervous. From what he'd seen of her in the street during the gunfight she was attached to him and he'd felt a little bit overwhelmed about being in a relationship he couldn't remember. Then he saw her walking down the basement stairs and any trepidation disappeared. The emotions that crossed her face were like a symphony. She looked relieved, overjoyed and exhausted all at once, but when she touched him, the way she looked at him, he had no doubt that he was loved by her. Felicity grinned and he knew he'd been caught staring.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." She said without looking up for her computer. "Actually, I should say good afternoon."

Oliver pushed the blanket aside and swung his legs over the side. "How long have I been out?"

"It's been seventy hours since you kinda lost consciousness. Your fever broke early this morning." She finished typing and rolled her chair towards his bed. "So, are you ready to meet everyone?"

"Everyone?"

"Yes, Jon, Robert, Abby and Maya." She smiled when Oliver furrowed his brow. "Our children."

Oliver started to choke on the air he was trying to breathe. "Our children?" He managed to splutter out through a ragged breath.

Felicity had risen from her chair and was gently thumping him on his back. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. Relax, we don't have any children."

He eyed her sideways and was ready to yell at her when he saw the look on her face and couldn't help a grin from crossing his own. He gently pulled on her wrist and brought her onto the mattress to sit beside him. "How long have we been, um, together?"

She had looked down at their hands and their intertwined fingers. He hadn't remember lacing his fingers through hers. "Um, it's complicated. We're not actually together."

The sad look on her face broke his heart. He lifted her chin so he could look at her. "Oh God, I cheated on you."

She shook her head sadly. "No, Oliver, you didn't cheat on me. We'd have to be together for that to happen." He realized that she had to know Laurel and therefore knew about Sara and so he wasn't all that surprised that they weren't together. His reputation wasn't one that engendered romantic confidence. As if reading his mind she said, "Oliver, you would never cheat. That's not who you are anymore."

"So, if I'm not a cheater anymore, then why aren't we together? I mean, between you and Diggle, I get the feeling that there is something between us."

She squeezed his fingers and then let go of his hand. "It's complicated."

He thought of pushing for more details but the pain in her eyes changed his mind. He suddenly felt the need for a bathroom after seventy hours. "I could really use a bathroom and a hot shower."

"That I can do. Come on." She led him across the room. He took in Yao Fei's hood and the other uniforms in the glass cases. He had a million questions about what they were doing out of this basement, but knew she wouldn't provide him with any answers. She opened the door to a small bathroom. "There are towels in that cabinet. Careful with the shower, it gets super hot without warning. You were going to fix it but then you left and it isn't like we can just call a plumber down here. Anyway, I also left a scissor and a pair of clippers on the sink. Your razor is in the medicine cabinet on your shelf - which is the middle shelf, because you don't remember that."

Oliver laughed at her sudden download of information. "Are you telling me you want me to cut my hair?"

"And shave your beard." She reached into her jeans and pulled out her phone. "The beard is sexy as hell, but the hair has got to go. I've been sending Thea your _vacation_ photos," she held up a picture of him holding a surf board, "and you don't look like some wild mountain man. We won't be able to explain all this," she said gently tugging on his beard.

"I surf?" Oliver studied the picture on her phone. "I can't see me ever doing this."

She laughed, "As far as Thea knows you surf, but no, you don't surf." Her brow furrowed. "At least, I don't think you surf. There's plenty of stuff I don't know about you from your time away, so I guess there is a good chance you do surf, I mean you can fly a plane and boy that was a surprise, but you don't like to swim so I think there is a low chance that you do surf and I just don't know about it."

Oliver could feel his eyes opening in surprise at her ramble. He wasn't sure how she hadn't passed out from lack of oxygen. He placed a hand on her shoulder and handed her the phone. "Got it. Consider the hair and beard gone."

Felicity smiled and stepped out of the bathroom door to let him pass. "Maybe you can grow the beard back. I kind of like it."

He ran a hand over his beard. "I have a feeling I have trouble saying no to you." He stepped past her into the bathroom.

She tilted her head to the side and smiled. Felicity started to speak, but seemed to think better of it. Instead, she pulled the bathroom door closed and he listened as her shoes clicked across the concrete floor.

When he got out of the shower and had dressed in the clothing Felicity had left for him on the sink while he was showering, Maseo and Dig were standing on either side of her looking at her computer. "What's up?"

Maseo turned. "Felicity has found Tatsu."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcomed.
> 
> Up Next: This time I mean it, Tatsu is found.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rescue of Tatsu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who took the time to send me a comment or to make this story a favorite. Thank you to my guest reviewers, especially Jen whose reviews are always so thoughtful and elnee who gave me my first ever fist-pump - which made me smile.
> 
> The real world beckons and I return to work today after a lovely two week holiday. Maybe in another life I will be able to pay the bills with my imagination. Unfortunately, in this life, my bills are paid by working in an office, which means daily updates to this story are not going to be likely. I think there may only be one or more two chapters left to this story. I will do my best to update again before the week is out.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

"I was just explaining to Maseo if he had trusted us and brought you home in the first place, he'd have been reunited with his wife by now." Felicity was a little surprised by the hostility in her voice. She was grateful that Maseo had saved Oliver's life. She knew that going against Ra's al Ghul couldn't have been an easy decision and that he'd risked his own life to save Oliver's, but four months. Four months! She'd been slowly losing her mind with grief for the past four months and Maseo could've put her out of her misery almost from day one.

"How did you find her so fast?" Oliver asked as he tried to take in everything flashing across her monitors. There were videos, floor plans, aerial photographs and satellite imagery tiling across her screens.

She grinned at him. "Unlike some people, I wasn't sleeping the last seventy hours. As soon as the once and future Mrs. Diggle was able to get me images and videos of Tatsu, it was only a matter of writing the parameters into my search programs. It's how I found you."

"We need to call in the others to come up with an extraction plan." Diggle said. "That building is swarming with Triad."

"Where is Chien Na Wei?" Maseo asked.

"We will help you get Tatsu but China White is back in jail and we won't be killing her. We don't kill." Swiveling in her chair to face Oliver she said, "You don't kill - especially not in cold blood."

Oliver looked around the basement again. "I seem to have a lot of deadly weapons for someone who doesn't kill."

Felicity stood up and stepped right into his personal space. "Listen here, Oliver Queen. You don't kill. Not unless it is absolutely necessary and revenge is not absolutely necessary. It took a long time for you to get yourself to this place and I'm not letting you regress, amnesia or not. When you get your memories back, you'll thank me." Felicity turned back to face Maseo. "We will happily help you recover your wife, but that's it. If you go after China White, we will stop you."

Maseo nodded. "I want my wife back, that will be enough." He looked at Oliver and then back to Felicity. "May I ask you a question?" Felicity nodded and he continued. "Your name is unusual. I've never heard it before. What does it mean?"

"Happiness," Oliver said as he examined the map Felicity had displayed on her monitors. Felicity glanced at Oliver in surprise. They'd never discussed her name before and she briefly wondered if he had ever thought of her name's meaning before.

"Oliver's happiness." Maseo said softly. Felicity's head whipped around to face Maseo.

"What?" Oliver and Felicity asked at the same time.

"Did Ta-er al Sahfer ever ask you for a favor?" Maseo asked Felicity.

Felicity eyed him warily. "Sara and I spoke of many things."

"Four years ago, I asked her to move my son to a safe location. For his own safety, I told her I didn't want to know where she put him. Shortly before her death, she told me that if something were to happen to her, Oliver Queen's happiness would know where Akio is. Do you know where my son is?"

Felicity shifted uncomfortably. "Dogs bark at midnight."

Maseo smiled. "Little boys sleep in their beds." Felicity's fingers flew across her keyboard and a picture appeared on every monitor. Maseo took a shuddering breath and his fingers touched one of the monitors. "He is a man now. Is he nearby?"

"Yes, he is a sophomore at the Hill Academy. It is a boarding school." Felicity said. Prior to leaving to rejoin the League after Slade's rampage, Sara had asked her to look after some people for her. Firstly, she asked her to keep an eye on Sin. It wasn't hard to do, since she was practically joined at the hip with Roy. The second person she'd asked for her to look after did surprise her. It was a fourteen year old boy who'd been orphaned by the League and who Sara was protecting and paying to educate. Felicity had been keeping an eye on the boy, albeit from afar. Sara said that the boy had one surviving family member who would come for him if it was ever safe and that he would have a pass code to prove his identity.

"I went there as a day student," Oliver said more to himself than anyone.

"Yes, we know. The infamous D in tenth grade algebra. I bet that's one thing you wish you'd forget." She winked at Oliver. "Luckily, Akio is a much better student than Oliver ever was." Report cards began to tile across her screens, along with other photographs. "He is a straight A student and he plays lacrosse and is on the fencing team. He was in the choir last year, but I think that was to impress a girl." Felicity relinquished her chair so Maseo could take a closer look. "Sara enrolled him as Adam Hirai."

Maseo silently went through the file Felicity had give him access to as Oliver and Dig studied the layout of Tatsu's apartment building. After a few minutes Maseo said, "Thank you, for keeping him safe."

"You're welcome." She gently squeezed the man's arm as she saw the gratitude in his eyes. She looked over towards Oliver. "Thank you, for keeping him safe." Clearing her throat, she enlarged the aerial photograph of the building Diggle and Oliver were studying. She opened her team alert program and sent an automated message to the team. "I called everyone in so we can reunite Maseo's family?" She smiled at Oliver. "Everyone deserves a happy ending today."

Six hours later Felicity was directing her full team through the apartment building where Tatsu was being held. She glanced over to the Arrow's case and for the first time in a long time she wasn't filled by sadness looking at the hood hanging in its place. It didn't feel right for Oliver to wear the suit without remembering his identity, but it also felt wrong for Diggle to put the suit back on with a living and breathing Oliver back at home. She had hacked into an A.R.G.U.S. satellite and was currently using heat signatures to alert her team to threats. "A.T.O.M. there are two targets approaching on your six."

"Copy that." Ray said in her ear. "Targets down."                                                                                              

"Speaking of which, when are you going to launch my satellites so I can stop hacking A.R.G.U.S.?" Noticing two heat signatures moving positions, she said, "B.C. and Wildcat, patrol is turning around and heading in your direction." The sound of gunfire erupting caused her to still as she tried to identify which member of her team was under fire. Dig, Maseo and Oliver were surrounded by the enemy, but so far, they'd succeeding in evading the Triad. "Arsenal?"

"All clear."

"A.T.O.M.?"

"All clear."

"Black Canary?"

"All clear."

"Wildcat?"

"All clear."

"Papa Bear?" She tried not to giggle at their latest call sign for Dig. The sound of Roy laughing, forced her to put her own comm on mute.

"Target is down. I'm clear. If you call me that again, I will pour soda on your babies." Dig said.

"Yeah, well, you keep shooting down all my suggestions." Felicity sighed. Both she and Dig had yet to agree on their own call signs. So far Dig had rejected, Mr. Big, Big Daddy, Ranger and Sentinel. She had rejected, Barbie, Tech Support, Bossy and Susie. All of her names had been suggested by Roy who had yet to make a suggestion with a straight face.

"Homefront." Oliver's voice came through her comm in a whisper. The sound of his voice in her ear after all these months made her feel warm all over. "I have three targets blocking the north stairwell, suggestions?"

"Arrow, south stairwell is all clear." Felicity returned her focus to the heat map and her team's individual trackers. She watched as Roy, Laurel, Ted and Ray took out the Triad that were patrolling the roof and ground floor. Oliver and Maseo appeared on the floor where surveillance indicated Tatsu was being held. "Arrow, exits are all clear. Grab the package and meet at the rendezvous."

The sound of heavy fighting filled her ears. She had given up, long ago, trying to determine whether she was listening to a punch or a kick or guessing who was swinging and who was taking the hit. She only listened for signs of injuries and the need to call in back-up and set up the medical supplies. "Package acquired. Heading for the rendezvous." Oliver informed the team.

"Roger. Come home safe." Felicity responded.

Twenty minutes later, Roy, Diggle, Oliver and Maseo, who carried an unconscious Tatsu, entered the lair. "Is she okay?" Felicity asked as she guided Maseo to the med table.

"We had to sedate her." Oliver moved around her in order to assist Maseo place Tatsu on the table. The woman was tiny and pale but Felicity couldn't identify any injuries. Her pulse was steady and strong under Felicity's fingers.

Reassured that Tatsu was okay, Felicity began her routine of searching the team for injuries. A quick once over of Dig and Roy had her moving back to the men at the table. Maseo's lip was bleeding, but it was nothing an ice pack couldn't fix. She turned her attention to Oliver. "You're bleeding."

Oliver looked at his arm and shrugged. "It's nothing."

Felicity rolled her eyes. "Glad to know your gift for understatement predates me." She tugged on his jacket and he pulled his arms out of his sleeves. Felicity gently probed the wound. "Doesn't look like you'll need to stitches."

Oliver winked. "I told you it was nothing."

Roy laughed. "I know you don't remember, but the less you dismiss your injuries the less chance she'll use her loud voice."

"Roy," she snapped. "Not helping."

"What? You don't want him to know that you spend most of your time yelling at him. He'll remember eventually." Roy smirked as he removed his jacket and hung it on his mannequin.

Addressing Roy, "I don't." Turning to Oliver. "I don't. At least not most of time."

Oliver laughed until she poured antiseptic onto his wound. "Ow."

If anyone ever told her that one day she'd be happy to inspect another of Oliver's bloody gashes, she'd have told them they were nuts. Now, she'd be grateful every time she got the opportunity to tend to his wounds. As long as he came home to her breathing, she'd never complain about another injury again. "Big baby." She finished cleaning and applying butterfly bandages to his wounds. If anyone noticed that she was grinning while she did it, no one said anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcomed.
> 
> Up Next: Oliver works to retrieve his memories.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver gets his memories back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of the kind support you have shown this story. It started as a drabble, but you're support inspired me to keep writing. Your generosity is overwhelming and I appreciate each one of you. 
> 
> I apologize that this chapter took so long to get up. It has been a long first week back at work and I wasn't left with much time for writing. I hope you find it worth the wait.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Oliver watched as Felicity and Diggle spoke in hushed tones. She looked upset and the older man appeared like he was trying to reassure her. Oliver knew that they were discussing him. When he saw Felicity shake her head and Diggle sigh, he decided he'd had enough of people discussing him like he wasn't there. "Everything okay?" He crossed the Foundry to join them at Felicity's computers.

"It's all good, man." Dig squeezed Felicity's hand. "I'll be back as soon as Sara's pediatrician's appointment is done."

Felicity smiled at Oliver. "Big day, today."

Oliver nodded at her understatement. Tatsu was going to help him retrieve his memories through meditation. It seemed like only a few months since she guided him through her technique for the first time. "Do you want to tell me what you and Diggle were fighting about?"

"We weren't fighting." Oliver cocked and eyebrow at her and Felicity's shoulders sagged. "We were just disagreeing."

"About me." He wasn't going to let her off the hook. He interrogated people for a living. He surely could get some information out of the petite blonde without breaking a sweat. "Don't you think I should get a say in whatever you're disagreeing about?"

She reached for him, but then pulled back. "We're not trying to keep anything from you. Well, I guess we are, but not because we want to, well, I guess because we want to."

Oliver took pity on her as she rambled in distress. "Felicity. What are you disagreeing about?"

"I'm worried about today, about you. I think we should prepare you for what you're going to remember, but everyone else thinks it's better if you remember on your own."

"That bad?" Oliver teased. He knew that they were keeping stuff from him and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't apprehensive. Diggle told him about Sara's murder, so he knew whatever they weren't telling him had to be worse.

This time, she did take his hand. "There have been good things too. It's just that sometimes, the bad feels like it outweighs the good." She turned away, but not before he saw her eyes fill with tears.

"Hey," he said gently as he turned to her to face him, "whatever it is, I survived it before, I'll get through it again."

"I wish you didn't have to. I hope when you get your memories back, it won't be like reliving it all again." Felicity wiped her eyes. "There are good memories Oliver, I promise."

"Ready?" Tatsu appeared at the far end of the Foundry. She held a red candle and gestured for him to join her.

Felicity gathered her purse and tablet. "I'll be upstairs."

Oliver took her elbow. "Stay." He wasn't sure why, but he needed to know that Felicity would be close by. "Please, I'd like it if you stayed."

"Okay."

"You can stay, but it's important that you don't interrupt when he is in a meditative state." Tatsu said sitting on the floor.

Felicity squeezed his hand. "Good luck. I'll be right here if you need me."

Feeling more confident, he strode over to Tatsu. "Thank you for helping me."

"I promised Maseo that I'd help you. As soon as you're memories are back my family can be reunited and we can leave here."

Oliver grinned. "I'm glad that some things have stayed the same." Time had clearly not tempered Tatsu's dislike of him.

She gave him a pointed look. "Let's begin."

Oliver sat opposite Tatsu and she lit the candle that she then placed between them. "Focus on the flame. Take a deep breath," she held the count for five beats, "and release. Again." They repeated the slow inhalation and exhalation of breath, his focus entirely on the flame. He could feel himself relaxing as his mind filled with just the light from the flame. All thoughts left him as he focused on his breathing. Tatsu's voice quietly pierced the veil of his meditation. "Oliver. Think to the first time you awoke to see Maseo. What did he say to you?"

Oliver floated along in a current of his thoughts as he tried to locate Maseo. He remembered the firefight in front of the courthouse; interrogating Xi; the car chase; training with Maseo; a cool hand on his forehead and a cup of tea. He remembered awaking in Hong Kong and Maseo telling him that he'd been wounded by the Triad... No, that was a lie. He hadn't been injured by the Triad. Oliver pulled away from that memory and sought out an earlier one. He awoke in a cold room that was rocking side to side. He was on a boat, maybe in a shipping container. It was dark and he was in pain. He tried to move, but the pain was so intense he feared he would pass out. A small light turned on and moved towards him. He recoiled from the brightness of the light. A familiar voice spoke from the darkness. "Do not move."

"Maseo? Where am I?" The pain reminded him of where he'd been and his heart beat accelerated. "Ra's?"

"Oliver, you are safe and out of his reach."

If it wouldn't have caused him agonizing pain, he'd have sobbed in relief. "Thank you."

Maseo held a cup to his lips. "Drink." Oliver gratefully drank what was offered. It wasn't water, maybe a tea. It was faintly medicinal and a bit sweet for his liking, but it was cool and it felt like heaven going down his dry throat. "Oliver, you must forget."

"Forget what?" He drank more from the cup held by Maseo.

"You must forget your life after you left Hong Kong." Maseo's spoke soothingly.

Panic flooded through Oliver. "No, I need to go home. She's waiting for me." He tried to sit up, but Maseo's hand on his shoulder kept him on his back.

"Oliver Queen, you will forget everything after Hong Kong until I tell you to remember."

Remembering someone had asked him a question, Oliver spoke into the void, "He told me to forget."

A woman's voice replied, "Remember. It is time."

Ra's. Maseo had told him to forget Ra's. An image of a man with a beard appeared before him and slowly the world resolved around him. Oliver was on his knees in the snow, a sword through his chest. Ra's was praying over him and then he was falling, but Felicity was with him. Felicity.

_I love you._

_I believe in you._

_I am happy to see you._

_I thought the place could use a little sprucing._

_You're my partner._

_I'm used to being your girl._

_You'll always be my girl._

_I liked watching you do that._

_It's perfect._

_Boobs can make a frat boy do anything._

_You're remarkable._

_Is that judgment?_

_Pride._

_Can I trust you?_

_It was red._

_Maybe, I was wrong._

He was surrounded by memories of Felicity. One running into the other and filling him with a sense of warmth and peace. He was happy. She made him happy. For so long he thought that he'd never have that feeling again and here were all these memories of her that proved him wrong. He could be happy. No, he was happy. But Felicity told him they weren't together. He didn't understand, if they were happy, why weren't they together? Her beautiful smile fell away and was replaced with tears.

_My friend - our friend was shot with arrows and fell off of a rooftop._

_Tell me you never loved me._

_Don't, not for me._

_You deserve better._

_Promise me._

_I want to be unsafe, with you._

_My choice._

_If you're not leaving, I'm not leaving._

_And just the thought of losing someone that important to me again._

_I'm so sorry, Oliver, if I have feelings, but maybe if you did too, we..._

_I'm sorry. I'm not going to wait with you._

He felt her slipping away from him. The memories barraging him were full of pain and fear. He'd caused her pain. He'd put her in danger and that had made her afraid, but she never gave into it, she never wavered in her belief. What was worse, her bravery and her loyalty made him feel stronger. As she gave her strength to him, he was slowly breaking her. He'd failed the woman he loved. He didn't want to remember these memories. The last image of Felicity covered in blood, surrounded by flames, filled him with fear. He couldn't lose her. He'd lost too many people he cared about. This thought of loss led to another and he was remembering Sara on a metal table with three arrows sticking from her chest. He wanted to stop. He didn't want to remember, but the tide of memories pulled at him and he was powerless over them. The next memory was one of Tommy laying amidst rubble with a rebar through his chest. Oliver begged his friend to open his eyes, but Tommy refused. He moved his hands to Tommy's still chest in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but there was so much blood. Oliver was no longer looking at Tommy, but his mom, Thea and Slade. It wasn't possible. Slade was dead. He'd killed him... No, he didn't. The Mirakuru had saved him and Sara hadn't drowned. Slade had come to Starling to exact his revenge for Shado's death. Slade had promised to take away everything away from Oliver. This memory was the reenactment of the night with Ivo, Shado and Sara, but this time he would not choose, not again. He refused to focus on the memory, tried to will it away and lose himself back in the tide. The memory refused to be ignored and a silent scream tore from his throat as he watched Slade drive his sword through his mom's chest.

_It should've been me. It should've been me._

Oliver awoke to Felicity's clear blue eyes. His head was resting in her lap as she ran her fingers through his hair. "Hey," she said with a relieved smile.

"What happened?" Oliver sat up and took in the Foundry. They were alone and sitting on the floor.

"You were meditating with Tatsu and you remembered something that upset you." Oliver furrowed his brow in confusion. "Oliver, what do you remember?"

He stood up and offered her his hand. He encircled her fingers and pulled her to her feet. Felicity's face was drawn with concern. She was worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she studied him. A strand of her hair had come loose from her ponytail and he brushed it behind her ear. He smiled and shrugged apologetically. "I guess it didn't work. The last thing I remember is staring into the flame."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcomed.
> 
> I apologize if I got any of the quoted show dialogue wrong. I was going off of memory and didn't want to delay posting by double checking by scanning through episodes. I also hope that Oliver's meditative state wasn't too confusing. I was trying to convey the chaos of him being bombarded by so many memories at once.
> 
> Up Next: Felicity and Diggle try to help Oliver.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity asks Oliver for something

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all my kind readers who sent me comments, left me kudos or chose to follow the story.
> 
> The most common comment/question I received after the last chapter was, "Why is Oliver lying? Is Oliver lying?" I hope this chapter answers your questions.
> 
> We are reaching the end of the story. There will be one more chapter after this and an epilogue.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Felicity sat across from Dig at a high top table at Verdant. She was unconcerned with the looks being sent their way as she openly cried. Dig reached into his pocket and handed her his clean, pressed, white cotton handkerchief. It was the twenty-first century, but John Diggle still carried a handkerchief in his pocket for whenever he came across a damsel in distress. Felicity was pretty sure she was the only one who partook of his chivalry on a regular basis. She clutched the cloth in her fist without bothering to dry her face. "He says he doesn't remember, but he did. I heard him. Do you think there is something wrong with him? Maybe he has a head injury. Should we get him a MRI?"

Dig reached across the table and squeezed the hand holding his handkerchief. "Everything is going to be okay. He'll remember."

"But he did remember. Why is he saying that he doesn't?" Felicity knew she sounded like a whining child, but she wanted her Oliver back. Dig hadn't been there, he hadn't heard what she had. She was there when he cried out for her in anguish. She'd rushed to him, but Tatsu restrained her. She felt her heart breaking as she heard him cry out for Tommy, begging him to open his eyes. Felicity knew that he was reliving Tommy's death because she'd listened to him live it the first time over the comms. She dropped to her knees with Tatsu's arms tightly banded around her when he screamed for his mom. He sounded like a wounded animal. To watch him remember Moira's murder was agony. When he fell over onto his side saying, _"It should've been me,"_ Tatsu finally let her go. Felicity pulled him onto her lap and did her best to soothe him as he cried. "John, I just want him to come home."

Diggle dropped his head and Felicity knew that he was carefully choosing the words he would speak. "Before you joined the team, I once accused Oliver that he never really left the island. He was here physically, but mentally, he was still trapped on Lian Yu. He has PTSD from those years. We've discussed this." Felicity nodded. Over the years, Oliver had been a frequent conversation between them, more specifically, trying to figure out why Oliver does what he does. "In order for him to survive all those years, he had to find a way to live without being crushed by the fear, the loss and the loneliness. Oliver disengages when his feelings become too much. It's his survival mechanism. He ran back to the island after Tommy. He hid himself away after Moira. He pulled away from you after the explosion and Sara. We shouldn't be surprised he's now escaping from his memories."

Felicity sniffled. "I know running is his pattern, but I don't want him looking at us like we're strangers. We're his family."

"If there's one thing I know about Oliver,"

"He's stubborn."

"Okay, if there are two things I know about Oliver,"

"He's broody," Felicity cracked a smile.

A huge smile spread across Dig's face. "I know Oliver loves you and always fights when you ask him to. Felicity, ask him to fight for you."

Felicity shuddered and sat up straight. Dig was right. When he ran to Lian Yu, he came home when she asked him to. She had to fly in a dilapidated plane to ask him to come home, but he did. When Oliver gave up after they lost the Mirakuru cure, he kept fighting because she told him he wasn't done yet. "After the rocket attack, after Sara," she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, Dig. I didn't ask him to fight for us. How could I not ask him to?"

Dig smiled sympathetically. "You were hurt and you protected yourself."

Felicity stood up and kissed Dig on the cheek. "John Diggle, I'd be lost without you."

"Don't you forget it." He pushed her gently. "Go, go, go. He's waiting for you."

Felicity practically ran to the Foundry. She paused on the top step when she was greeted by a familiar clang. Taking a deep breath, she regained her composure before descending the stairs. Oliver was shirtless and climbing the salmon ladder. She stood before the steel construction and greedily watched him. It had been way too long since she'd seen this. After he ended things with her, he was careful to never be shirtless in front of her and he'd stopped using the salmon ladder when she was present. Roy told her that Oliver wasn't getting on the salmon ladder when she wasn't there either. He insisted Oliver only wanted to do it if a certain blonde IT girl was there to watch. Felicity remembered turning red at Roy's implication. She knew that he knew that she enjoyed watching him. Maybe he enjoyed that she watched him too.

Oliver reached the top rung and dropped to the ground in a crouch. Grabbing a towel he'd hung from the bottom notch on the ladder he began to wipe himself down. As he dragged the towel across his chest he looked at Felicity for the first time since she entered the basement. His towel dropped to the ground. "You've been crying."

There was no use denying it. She probably was all red and blotchy. "Yes."

"Because of me." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes."

He took two steps towards her and grasped her shoulders. "Why?"

"Oliver, you once told me that if I asked you to do something, you'd do it." He tilted his head as if trying to remember. "I'm going to ask you to do something and I need you to do it for me, for us. I need you to remember."

He let out a breath and seemed to deflate a little. "Felicity, I,"

She placed her hand over his heart and looked into his eyes. "I need to tell you something. I've waited for you to come home so I could tell you."

"You can tell me now." He placed his hand above hers.

She shook her head, her ponytail swaying. "No, I can't. You need to remember before I can tell you."

The look of confusion on his face broke her heart and infuriated her at the same time. "Why?"

"I need you to remember that you love me." She half sobbed, half yelled.

He moved his hands to her face and wiped her tears. "Felicity, I want to remember."

Her eyes shuttered closed. The way he said her name was like a caress. A part of him did remember and she needed that part of him to fight for them. Opening her eyes she said, "I need you to remember. I need you to come all the way home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcomed.
> 
> Up Next: Team Arrow at Big Belly Burger.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Arrow goes to dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who sent me a comment, left me a kudos or bookmarked the story. I appreciate it.
> 
> This story began with Dig's point of view and it will end with it too. Don't worry, there will be an epilogue that should make everyone very happy.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Dig held the door to Big Belly open to allow Oliver and Roy to pass through. They'd spent the day at his place, watching basketball and drinking beer. Felicity thought it was time for Oliver to leave the Foundry, memories or not. They decided that Oliver hanging out with the guys and watching sports was a low pressure way to remind him of the good times. They'd come to Big Belly to meet Felicity for dinner and recreate another 'happy story' for Oliver.

If Dig were to be honest, he was worried about Felicity who was waving at them from their usual booth. It had been two days since Oliver first attempted to retrieve his memories. Tatsu tried again with Oliver the next morning, but his subconscious resisted any attempt to enter a meditative state. Every time Felicity looked at Oliver she had so much hope in her eyes that Dig had to look away. He loved Oliver like a brother, but there were times he wanted to shake him until he started seeing sense. He understood that the amount of trauma and pain Oliver had to endure over the past eight years would be enough to drive a normal person to take up permanent residence in a psych ward, however, his friend was far from typical. Oliver was one of the strongest people he'd ever known and he didn't just mean physically. It took real mental fortitude to survive everything that Oliver had. Dig could understand why his best friend wanted to take a little vacation from his memories, but, Dig loved Felicity too and Oliver's little vacation was causing her to suffer almost as much as his physical disappearance had. After everything she'd already been through with his disappearance, if Oliver didn't remember soon, he was worried she might start to crack.

Maseo and his family had departed for destinations unknown that morning. Dig watched as Maseo pulled Oliver into an embrace to say good-bye. He had his hand on the back of Oliver's neck and pulled his forehead to his own. Maseo spoke softly in Cantonese and Oliver nodded in agreement to whatever he was telling him. Then, Maseo released him and was gone. Oliver had seemed pensive for the first few hours after Maseo left, but, eventually, he relaxed and started to enjoy the game. Sitting on the sofa, drinking a beer and watching Oliver and Roy fight about the refs made him smile. For the first time in four months he felt like he could finally breathe. Their Oliver was still there, he just needed to be coaxed out. Dig just wished he could give him more time to remain blissfully ignorant. The League and Merlyn were still out there with their site's on Oliver and Starling City. The team needed to come up with a plan that didn't involve Oliver sacrificing himself or the wholesale slaughter of the city's citizens.

Part of the reason they were meeting for dinner was because they wanted to broach the topic of sharing some of his more tragic memories with Oliver. Felicity was feeling guilty about keeping Oliver away from Thea, but until he knew the truth about his mom, Tommy and Merlyn, they had to be kept apart. Dig also knew that Felicity hoped if he heard the truth from them it would soften the news and he'd no longer need to hide from his memories. Dig didn't think it would be that simple.

Oliver slid into the booth beside Felicity and she handed him a menu. She grinned at Dig when Oliver ordered his usual. The conversation was easy and light as they waited for their orders. Oliver and Roy were disagreeing about an offensive foul when the waitress brought over four red baskets containing their orders. Without stopping his argument, Oliver took the two small jars of mustard out of Felicity's basket, opened their lids and placed them in front of her. Roy looked like he was about to say something, so Dig kicked him under the table. Roy glanced sideways at Dig but launched into his argument for why Oliver needed to get glasses as much as the ref. Oliver rolled his eyes and pulled Felicity's basket over to his. He removed the pickles from his burger and placed them on hers. He then took her tomatoes and two of her onion rings, before he took a handful of his french fries and placed them in her basket. He pushed her basket back in front of her. Dig did an internal fist pump. He'd watched this routine between them for the better part of two years. It was the same ritual, every time. Oliver was acting on auto pilot.

"Oliver," Felicity sounded put out, "that's not one third."

Oliver looked into her basket and then back into his. He shrugged. "It's approximately a third."

She eyed his fries. "It's not a third."

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not counting every fry and then doing long division to determine an exact third."

"And how many times do I have to tell you that dividing by three isn't long division?" Felicity reached over and pulled three fries from his basket and put them into her mouth triumphantly. Oliver gave her his best Arrow glare and took three fries out of her basket and popped them into his mouth with a look of smug satisfaction.

Oliver returned his attention to Roy and Dig turned his to Felicity. She was smiling, but her eyes had filled with tears and her hands were trembling slightly. She looked up and caught his eyes and he knew that they were mirroring their happiness back at one another. Dig winked at her and picked up his burger. He waited for her to do the same before he took a bite. Maybe it would be that simple. Oliver may not have come home as fast they liked, but he was home now and everything was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcomed.
> 
> Up Next: Felicity gets a late night visitor. I wonder who it will be...


	16. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity gets an early morning visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the final chapter of this story. I want to thank everyone who has chosen to stick with the story and follow me to journey's end. I know there is a lot of really good fanfic out there and you didn't have to read my story. It means a great deal to me that you did. I appreciate each and everyone of you who took the time to send me a comment. Your thoughts on the story never failed to brighten my day. I also would like to thank everyone who left a kudos, subscribed or bookmarked my story. I know your support helped to draw new readers into the story.
> 
> Those of you who are familiar with my writing know that I don't really write explicit love scenes. This remains true in this story. There is kissing and implied sexual behavior in this epilogue, but nothing graphic. If this isn't your thing, you don't need to read this chapter and you won't be missing out on the story.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Felicity awoke to someone pounding on her front door. Groaning, she rolled over to get her glasses and as she sat up, her clock came into focus. If Ray Palmer was knocking on her door at 2:00am again to discuss another of his ideas around miniaturization, she was going to put itching powder in his suit. It had been another long day in what had been a very long week. She'd only been in bed for an hour and her alarm was set to go off in another three. If it was anything short of an apocalyptical emergency, the person knocking on her door was going to get an earful.

She stumbled to the front door, pulling her robe on as she went. The pounding on her door got louder. She threw the door open with some choice words for Ray on her lips when she saw who it was. "Oliver?" He was soaking wet and dripping on her doormat. He was supposed to be home with Diggle and getting some sleep in a real bed. Confused and groggy, she stuck her head out the door to look at the street. It hadn't been raining when she got home and now it was pouring. She tried to remember if she closed her car's windows when she got home.

"You really should ask who it is before you open the door." He said stepping around her and into the apartment.

Felicity sighed and shut the door. "I thought you were..." She froze. Was Oliver really standing in her apartment or was she having a really vivid dream? It wasn't like she hadn't fantasized about a wet Oliver appearing on her doorstep before and it hadn't been raining when she got home. Turning slowly, afraid to hope, she asked, "How do you know where I live?" He grinned at her and her heart skipped a beat. "You remember?"

Before Felicity could process what was happening or ask him if he was okay, Oliver was cupping her face between his hand hands and his mouth sought hers. His hands were cold, but his lips were warm. She leaned into him, her fingers dragging the zipper of his wet brown leather coat down so she could snake her arms around his dry torso. He released her face so he could remove his coat, but his lips never left hers. She heard his coat hit the floor and then his arms were lifting her. She wrapped her legs around his waist as his arms crushed her to his chest. He threaded his fingers through her hair in order to change the angle of her head to deepen their kiss. Oliver pressed her back against her front door and she made a little oomph sound as the air left her lungs. He rested his forehead against hers. "I thought I'd never get to kiss you again," he whispered. "You were the last thing I thought of on that mountain. I'm so sorry, Felicity. Please say you'll forgive me."

Felicity tugged on the hair on the back of his head to raise his eyes to hers. "Forgive you, for what?"

"For, for, for everything. For pushing you away. For dangling maybes. For not being who you deserved. For disappearing. I screwed up." He looked so young with his wide blue eyes that were pleading with her for forgiveness.

She laughed gently as she caressed his face. "Even though you make everything so much harder than it needs to be, of course, I forgive you. I..." The words caught in her throat. This impossible man had unexpectedly appeared in her life and she was suddenly set on a trajectory that she never imagined possible. His cause had become hers, theirs. He was her partner and now he was there with all of his walls down and asking to be loved by her. Maybe they could be true partners in everything. For so long she'd guarded her heart and kept those three words locked away. As she looked into his eyes she realized that the words that she carried didn't belong to her anymore, they belonged to him. "Oliver," she smiled, "I love you."

Oliver's eyes welled with tears. Without taking his eyes from hers, his lips pressed gently against hers. This kiss was soft and slow as they took the time to explore one another. So much that had remained unspoken between them was being communicated with their locked gaze and their lips. She could taste the salt from his tears as they ran down his face and onto their joined lips. He stilled for a moment. "I love you."

He kissed her again, but now there was need. His tongue played across her lips until she granted him entry. There was now a shared hunger and desperation between them as all the years of denial and months of separation demanded to be acknowledged and paid. Her fingers tugged on his shirt as he worked to push her robe off of her shoulders. Anchoring her to the door with his hips, he lifted his arms so she could lift his shirt over his head. When his shirt had joined his jacket on the floor, she placed a kiss over his heart. "I've wanted to do that since you came home."

He smiled at her and ran his fingers through her hair, twisting a curl around a finger. "I've wanted to do that since you told me you dyed it." Felicity laughed and he smiled in return. "God, I've missed you." Felicity raised her arms over her head and then her eyebrows when he didn't move. "Are you sure?" He asked huskily.

"You still have to take me on a date." She teased.

He smiled at her and she thought her heart would burst from the joy on his face. "I think that can be arranged." He took the hem of her tank top between his fingers and hesitated. His eyes returned to hers. "I love you."

"I love you." Her shirt joined his on the floor and their lips found one another again. His arms cradled her tightly against him as he carried her towards her bedroom. She could feel his heart beating against her chest and she knew that whatever it was between them, it was right. They belonged together and to one another. As he laid them on the bed she said, "Welcome home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Your feedback is always welcomed.
> 
> If you enjoyed my story and would like to read more of my writing, I invite you to join me for my latest story, The Year of Good Things. It is the final installment of The Ties That Bind trilogy. For those readers who have already started The Year of Good Things, I am currently editing chapter 2 and it will be posted shortly.
> 
> I look forward to hearing from you all again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. As always, your feedback is welcome and appreciated.
> 
> Up next: How Team Arrow has been coping since Oliver's death.


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